A New
York Christmas
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
The story’s origins
are rooted in the filmmakers’ deep-seated love of Christmas – a time each year
when people of all colors, creeds, sizes, sexes and ages come together in
joyous celebration. It’s a time for sharing and togetherness, a time for
romance, a time to be with the ones you love. It’s a time to set aside
differences and remember what makes us the same. At the heart of the story,
writer-director Nathan Ives wanted to explore the lives of some people who
appeared very different on the surface, but were united in their dramatic,
funny and sometimes painful life experiences. In the early screenwriting
stages, there seemed like no better city for this ensemble journey to unfold
than the great melting pot that is the Big Apple. A downtown hotel, with its
transient nature, also presented the perfect stage, both literally and
figuratively, to glimpse briefly at the lives of eleven strangers... strangers
who don’t look all that different from you and me.
The journey began
in early 2014 when Ives had caught the eye of businessman Brian Conley during a
screening of Ives’s first feature film, It’s
Not You, It’s Me. Conley saw that Ives had a knack for telling personal
stories with a bittersweet blend of humor, pathos and empathy. The two decided
to team up on a feature film, and the seeds of A New York Christmas were planted. During the script’s development
phase, Ives and Conley worked closely on the characters together and flushed
out the meaning behind each storyline. Once the script was further along, Ives
reached out to his friend and former manager, Mark Heidelberger, to join him
and Conley in producing the picture. Heidelberger had been producing movies and
television for 15 years, and was not only a skilled line producer, but brought
an abundance of knowledge in development, casting, post and distribution. At
that point, the core producing team was assembled, and the three set out to
make movie magic together.
Once the script was
in solid shape, they began reaching out to cast. One of the first actors on
Ives’s go-to list was big screen veteran Ross McCall, who Ives had cast as the
lead in It’s Not You, It’s Me. McCall
had brought a great depth of emotion to the lead character in that film, and
Ives had already conceived the role of Ben with McCall in mind. In addition,
McCall’s great relationships with other strong actors (and his ability to get
them on board) earned him an executive producer spot on the team. When casting
director Sherrie Henderson began auditioning other leads, it quickly became
obvious who was right for the roles. Jaime Ray Newman’s instant chemistry with
McCall made their pairing a no-brainer. Richard Herd and Lee Meriwether
literally brought decades of experience and a grandparent-esque likeability
that’s so often missing in older characters today. Newcomers Maurice Mejia and
Catherine Toribio simply knocked their auditions out of the park. Jamie Bamber,
Linda Park, Jasika Nicole, Tracie Thoms and Chris Backus rounded out the ensemble,
each bringing an impressive toolbox of acting skills that allowed them to fully
embody their characters.
Production was
scheduled to begin in May of 2015. Ives had flown to Manhattan the Christmas
before with a second unit cinematographer to get establishing shots and B-roll
of the city. Now, the next big challenge was finding a location for principal
photography in Los Angeles that could play as New York. It not only had to have
that early 20th century urban architecture that so readily captures
the feel of Manhattan, but had to pass for it outside the windows as well.
Heidelberger had decided it was just too expensive to build all the hotel sets
on a stage, which would have at least allowed for the use of matte painting
backdrops, and therefore a normal daytime shooting schedule. Instead, the film
would have to be shot mostly at night in order for the world outside the
windows to believably play as Manhattan, which meant a tiring and unorthodox
schedule for the crew. In addition, the tight budget meant many hotels that
were used to big budget productions were out of the question. Ives and
Heidelberger scoured downtown Los Angeles for just the right place.
Fortunately, the Millennium Biltmore across from Pershing Square, right in the
heart of the metropolis, met the producers’ artistic and budgetary
qualifications; the team had found their new home for the next 12 days.
The production took
up one whole hallway on one floor for the first five days and the two-story,
multi-room Presidential Suite for the remaining seven. Rooms served as the
actors’ dressing rooms, makeup and wardrobe facilities, production offices and
equipment staging areas. The shooting schedule was as tight as the budget, and
with only two six-day weeks to shoot everything, Ives and director of
photography Kenneth Stipe found themselves having to rip through an average of
seven and a half pages a day. In addition, production designer Julian Brown was
tasked with making each room look just different enough to create some
aesthetic diversity, while still remaining similar enough to feel like they
were all in the same hotel. Not having to load in to the location and wrap out
each day allowed for more valuable shooting time. And the hotel rooms often
doubled as crash pads for cast and crew weary from an entire night of shooting;
but at the very least, they were extremely comfortable. In fact, the crew was
consistently reminded that there could have been worse places to shoot all
night.
Despite all the
obstacles, the production remained on schedule, and at the end of the 12 days,
the producers had a treasure trove of footage that was beautifully designed,
shot and acted. Now it was time to turn it into a cohesive narrative. Ives and
Heidelberger began interviewing potential editors during principal, often
before crew call or at lunch. Ultimately, they settled on Lori Ball because of
her take on the material and experience with similar films. While she and Ives
slaved away on a director’s cut, Heidelberger, also serving as post production
supervisor, began hunting for a composer who could create a score that
simultaneously captured the spirit of the season and the drama of the
plotlines. While many candidates seemed qualified, it was Alex Kovacs who most
impressed with his whimsical melodies and passion for yuletide nostalgia. With
the key post team in place, Ives and Heidelberger set about on an ambitious but
doable 21-week schedule to finish the picture.
By November of
2015, the film was complete, with the exception of a pesky little song called
“Cuddle Up” by Catey Shaw, which the producers and Sony Music were still
hammering out the publishing rights for. (This would finally get wrapped up
almost six months later!) A cast and crew premiere was held at the AMC Burbank
8, appropriately, two weeks before Christmas, providing a stress-free venue for
celebrating the achievement and the season. With the exception of a projector
malfunction during the last five minutes, which was quickly fixed, all went
well. Applause was genuine and excitement was palpable as credits rolled over a
shot of downtown Manhattan while the track “Could Be” by The Lollygaggers, an
original ditty created just for the film, played over the speakers.
There was a feeling in the air that the cast and crew
had all been a part of something special, that they had made some sort of
statement – even a small one – on the cultural significance of the country’s
favorite holiday. Hugs and handshakes continued at the Barney’s Beanery
after-party while guests sipped on stout and noshed on hors d’oeuvres. But
despite the festive atmosphere, the same nagging question kept arising in
conversation, one the producers would be tasked with answering at the top of
2016: Where will the film be shown? It was time to find the film’s audience.
The producing team had scaled Everest. Now it was time to get back down.
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