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Filmmaker Creates Christmas in June for Essex Village

While summer has just arrived in Essex with weather in the high 70s, the week of June 18 called for snow on Main Street, and it delivered. The Essex Post Office, Griswold Inn, and a few other spots around town were covered in white come Monday morning.

Poinsettias lined Main Street, garland was wrapped around the light posts, and wreaths decorated every shop window. It’s as if it was the night before Christmas, which is fitting, since that’s the name of the movie being filmed by Rocky Hill-based Synthetic Cinema International to be released this coming November or December.

“Essex has always been on our radar, because we’ve shot all over the state,” said Synthetic Cinema Producer Andrew Gernhard. “When we do Christmas movies, we look for the ultimate New England Christmas town…This one [Essex] fit the story best based on the characters and the locations.”

The hardest part of filming a Christmas movie, said Gernhard, is that it’s June. Not only does that mean fake snow has to be created, but the actors and actresses then have to bundle up in the June heat while pretending to freeze in the freshly fallen snow.

In the world of film, fresh snow is a delicate task to complete. Gernhard said they used snow blankets for covering bigger areas; soft, fluffy snow for the base of trees; and spray snow on trees and plants. When “snowing” the town, as Gernhard called it, one of their biggest concerns was not hurting any of the plants.

Neither kind of snow products they used hurt the plants. The blankets are made of a thin, see-through white that doesn’t prevent the sun from hitting the plants and the spray snow is made of recycled paper so “everything is 100 percent environmentally safe,” said Gernhard.

Another difficult task, more for those starring in the film than the ones directing and producing, is having to be decked out in winter clothing in the heat of June.

“I feel their pain…They have to be in ear muffs, and hats, and wool jackets,” said Gernhard. “Only now is it getting in the 80s and there’s always been a breeze so it’s actually been pretty good [this week], still hot, but if it was 100 degrees, it would be a nightmare.”

The summer heat does provide one good effect to the film: the red in the faces of the actors and actresses. While we see it as a result of humidity, in the movie it comes off as a result of the chill of winter.

“The only thing we don’t have is the breath,” said Gernhard, referring to the frosty plumes of winter breathing. “But nobody notices. We would only add the breath if it was a scene where they’re supposed to be really cold, then we would add it, but nobody notices.”

By the time the movie is aired, Gernhard warned, it may have changed its title—he’s frequently seen titles change three or four times before a final release.

Synthetic Cinema filmed two movies back to back. The previous film was called Kate Holliday and was filmed at Savour Café and Bakery in Centerbrook. While many were under the impression that the filming in downtown Essex this week was the same movie, it is entirely different.

“We only had a week off in between, so everyone thinks it’s the same one,” said Gernhard.

While there were shots completed inside the Post Office as well as the Griswold Inn, there was a lot of filming to take place outside on the street or in the courtyard. These scenes attracted a lot of attention from residents passing by.

“I’m impressed with Essex because everybody is genuinely nice; 98 percent of everybody here has been very supporting and interested,” said Gernhard. “Our time here has been great.”

Between the friendliness and acceptance of Essex residents and the overall feel of the town’s atmosphere, Gernhard expressed his eagerness in coming back to Essex to film future projects.

“We have another couple other films that are coming up that are more thrillers that I would love to bring to this town, because I would like to shoot it actually during summer because it’s so awesome. So I’d love to come back and shoot something when it’s not supposed to be winter in June,” said Gernhard.