Movie in the Making

Shooting Nutmeg & Mistletoe Bonus - The Writers Arrive on Set

In this interview from Day 16 of filming, the writers of Nutmeg & Mistletoe discuss the "surreal" experience of seeing their characters and locations come to life on set.  * Surreal Arrivals: Writers Jen and Deb describe the "magical" experience of meeting the cast and seeing the bed-and-breakfast set, which perfectly matched their visual imaginations. * The Development Journey: The project involved a year of development and approximately 12 script rewrites before filming. * Character and Costume Praise: The writers felt the casting for Mistletoe and Nutmeg was perfect and were particularly "tickled" by the "incredible" costume designs. * Defining Magic Rules: A key discussion centered on the specific "rules" of elf magic: Clarence can slow or stop time at a future cost, Nutmeg must understand mechanics before fixing them, and Mistletoe’s beauty-focused magic sometimes conflicts with physics. * Fresh Perspectives: The film stands out from holiday tropes by featuring two flawed female leads as the primary Christmas elves. * On-Set Details: The writers were delighted by character-specific prop choices, such as a cupcake-eating habit and a hilarious sleeping mask with open eyes to show a character's "wired" nature. * The "Imperfect" Message: The story explores the idea that even beings who live for hundreds of years, like elves, suffer from the same insecurities and blind spots as humans. * Favorite Holiday Films: The group shares their top Christmas movies, including A Christmas Story (despite the "horrible" source book), Christmas Vacation, A Muppets Christmas Carol, and the 2004 film Noel. Jen Bascom [https://www.instagram.com/bascomjenjen_bascom/] Deb Dodge [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10049848/] Also see their first interview video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJuBJ01QP3o] (or listen to Season 1 Episode 3) Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2429435/open_sms] Questions or thoughts? => charlie@abyssal.co [charlie@abyssal.co] Get daily work updates on Instagram [https://instagram.com/abyssal.films]

Shooting Nutmeg & Mistletoe Day #18 of 18

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe." I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like. It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage! In this episode: Celebrating a birthday on the final day of the shoot, moving to the "Disney lot" at Golden Oak for Santa’s Workshop, $500 sets of prosthetic elf ears , operating C-cam to "steal" interstitial footage, using metal balls and color palettes for VFX reference, hacking the script to manage $50,000-per-hour overtime costs, performing "mental gymnastics" for a reverse-motion letter catch, the "contingency" fund, changing the penultimate scene on the fly, wrapping everyone and life "on the road". Time to start post. A framed shot of Santa's workshop: https://imgur.com/a/C1hzwjg [https://imgur.com/a/C1hzwjg] Our prop master, Kesli: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5507420/ [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5507420/] Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2429435/open_sms] Questions or thoughts? => charlie@abyssal.co [charlie@abyssal.co] Get daily work updates on Instagram [https://instagram.com/abyssal.films]

Shooting Nutmeg & Mistletoe Day #17 of 18

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe." I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like. It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage! In this episode: Navigating the "C-Cam" vs. Second Unit distinction, learning lessons about shooting background actors, the "disgusting" reality of the poo truck cleaning out the bathroom trailers, long-standing "last call" traditions with flowers and selfies for wrapping actors, "Snow Globe Gate" where a prop smashed and was fixed in 15 minutes, and filming the Electronic Press Kit (EPK) interviews. Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2429435/open_sms] Questions or thoughts? => charlie@abyssal.co [charlie@abyssal.co] Get daily work updates on Instagram [https://instagram.com/abyssal.films]

Shooting Nutmeg & Mistletoe Day #16 of 18

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe." I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like. It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage! In this episode: Misty and Nutmeg’s "frenemy" antagonism during the town play, using emergency floodlights and reflectors to film a power outage monologue, hearing about Jen’s work on Disney’s Galactic StarCruiser, Sarah and Madeline treating the crew to a mid-afternoon coffee cart, debating a "startup-style" invite-only launch strategy for distributors, team getting more efficient, and deciding whether to show actors rough assemblies to avoid "hurt feelings", using Shotdeck. Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2429435/open_sms] Questions or thoughts? => charlie@abyssal.co [charlie@abyssal.co] Get daily work updates on Instagram [https://instagram.com/abyssal.films]

Shooting Nutmeg & Mistletoe Day #15 of 18

We started our 18-day shoot of our Christmas comedy called "Nutmeg and Mistletoe." I decided I would just hit the record button, usually at the end of each day, with my thoughts what was happening that day? What I learned, and generally what being on set for 12 hours a day is like. It is quite unfiltered and unedited (with the occasional beep) - hope you enjoy being backstage! In this episode: Four-hour rehearsals for the complicated stage play scene, pre-lighting the set to beat the schedule for the first time, meeting screenwriters Jen and Deb in person after eighteen months of Zoom, viewing the first 45-minute rough assembly, concerns over the "Christmas feel" without snow or reindeer, and leaning on "North Star" faith to get through the uncertainty of production. Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2429435/open_sms] Questions or thoughts? => charlie@abyssal.co [charlie@abyssal.co] Get daily work updates on Instagram [https://instagram.com/abyssal.films]