Producing : AMA - "Producing Christmas Movies" by Ryan Little

Congratulations on all of your success, Ryan Little! Thanks for taking the time to do another AMA. When is the best time for a producer to start producing a Christmas movie (so it'll be done and ready for release by the holidays)?

Hey Ryan! Here's my question: Did you have distribution commitment before you filmed?

Thanks my friend! Always glad to help my fellow filmmakers. Making Christmas movies is a funny thing. You will quickly notices after watching a few of them that most of them have fake snow, the actors look like they are over-heating and there is no breath coming from the actors mouth when outside. This is because they are shot mostly in the summer. Why? I am guessing it is simply because the Network is scrambling to meet deadlines and were not prepared in time to shoot in the winter. It's very odd to me. I have done one Christmas film in August and one in February and I can tell you visually the one in February is by far more real looking. So if you are making an independent Christmas film in my opinion the best time to shoot is in the winter. Making snow is is a pain! On a lot of these Christmas films shot in the summer they will easily spend 30K on making snow. UGH. By shooting in the winter you end up getting a fair amount of snow for free. Along with free Christmas lights. Also the actors will be more happy since all that warm clothes they are wearing will actually keep them warm. When you shoot in the summer and the actors are miserable and sweating the whole time. I also like to have the time to shape the film in editing and get it out there to sale in April when buyers start thinking about what they want to show in December. If you wait till summer to shoot your film hoping it to come out the same year for Christmas, you most likely will not find a home since most Networks have their line up locked in by late summer. So again shooting in and around Christmas with the intention of selling the film and having it come out the following Christmas is the best strategy for the win.

Hey Kim! Thanks for the question. So I have done three holiday films so far. The one I produced for Discovery + had distribution already in place since they were financing it and it was going to air on their Network. So that was nice and stress free. The other two holiday films I did "Everything you Want" for ABC and "A Fiancé For Christmas" for Lifetime Network were both funding by private investors and then sold to the Networks. More creative freedom that way but also a lot more risk if you can't find someone to buy your film when it's done.

Wow! What an incredible answer and insight, Ryan Little! Thanks!

"By shooting in the winter you end up getting a fair amount of snow for free. Along with free Christmas lights." Free props. :)

Hi Ryan Little! Thanks for doing another AMA! What would you say are the story elements that make a great Christmas or Holiday movie (and how do they prove that Die Hard is definitely a holiday movie?)?

Hi Ryan, I often have writers with Holiday scripts applying for "Rom-Com" open writing assignments and contests. Do you think that execs in the market for Rom Coms are usually looking for/open to holiday themed scripts, or should writers wait for a specifically "holiday" themed prompt to submit? I'm interested in what you think the market for holiday scripts entails.

Hey Emily! When I think of what makes a good Christmas film I think about character development. Today it seems like the "activities" that occur in a Christmas movie get all the attention: Building a snow man, Christmas tree lighting event, making cookies, a Christmas market, etc. Since we see this in 98% of every film that comes out, I think you really need to develop characters that we care about to stand out. Look at Nancy Meyers movie "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. Here is a movie that feels like a Christmas movie, yet it focuses the attention on building complex characters. It's fresh and interesting with Christmas as the backdrop. It's not forced down your throat. It just goes to show you don't need FIVE fully lite Christmas trees in your house to make a good holiday movie. If you have relatable characters, then the Christmas activities will be there to support the story more than be the STAR of the film. By doing this you have a more memorable and emotional experience with the film and still feel the spirit of Christmas while watching it. In respect to DIE HARD, which I love. I always forget that it is technically a Christmas film since it takes place during the holidays. It's sort of a "Home Alone" for adults in a way right, and we all know "Home Alone" is a great Christmas film. Merry Christmas my friend!

Merry Christmas Molly! Great question. I think spec scripts are like reels for directors and actors in a way. It's the show piece for the the writer. Meaning for a director /actor you need to have a "Comedy" reel, and an "Action" reel and a "Drama" reel. If you try to mix it all together in one reel producer's just get confused. Producers want to put you in a "lane." The same is true for writers, so submitting a ROM COM to someone who does action type films will just confuse them. I have a couple friends that are ROM COM writers and they only go after people who are looking for that when a prompt comes out. People want to put you in a box sadly.... You're the lady who writes drama. You're the guy who writes monster scripts, etc. So like a Directors and Actors I think if you think you can write more than one genre you need to have a few scripts ready to share to show your skills in the genre that people are looking for. That way you can pivot quickly and get your foot in the door.

Thanks for the advice, Ryan Little ("When I think of what makes a good Christmas film I think about character development...")! I started developing a Christmas script, but I got stuck trying to figure out the "activities," so your advice will definitely help me finish the outline.

What is the best way for a new writer (i.e. no credits) to get a script noticed by a publisher? Blind queries? Contests? Responding to leads on sites like this or Inktip?

LOVE that advice, thanks Ryan Little !

Hi Ryan,

Since Holiday films need to be produced for a low dollar figure - usually $500k or less..Do you have any advice about what NOT to include in a holiday script? What should writers avoid? What are the most economical types of scenes to shoot? Thx, BG

Hi Ryan! Thank you so much for this AMA - I had the same question as Emily about the elements which make a perfect holiday movie, but is it necessarily formatted or is there room for a more original approach?

Thanks for the insight, Ryan! As a writer of Christmas movies, I'm constantly being told by producers that finding something FRESH is the key to getting a script read. When you find a script, are you looking for something that hasn't been done before without getting too strange or familiarity with a twist?

Maurice. Congrats on starting a Christmas script. For sure focus on the characters first and then add the Christmas activities later unless they are key to the plot. If you can think of some new and original activates or new approaches to them then you'll be ahead of 90% of the Christmas scripts out there.

Todd. Yeah getting "on the map" as they say can be really hard. Knocking on doors and trying to get attention of people you don't know through the front door can be REALLY hard and a mostly fruitless endeavor I think. Contests are always good fun and sometimes lead to a producer potentially reading it. It also gives your spec script a bit of street credit that it's worth a read. I know STAGE 32 does have pitch sessions for different production companies. That is worth a try, but do your homework on the company you are pitching to in these sessions and check and see if they have made a movie before. If nothing else it can help you develop and refine your pitch as well as get industry feedback. If I wrote a script and wanted to get someone in the industry to read it, I would start with people I know who work in the industry and see if they can recommend my script to anyone. Also getting a literary manager to read your script is easier than getting an agent or producer to read it I find. So consider that as well. The other thing worth trying is to look at some of these Christmas films that are made on Tubi and lower end streaming platforms. Go hunt out the Christmas films that air without named talented in them. Then go on IMDBpro and figure out who directed these movies. These people are going to me more likely to read your script since they are doing the smaller Christmas films. For you 1st film take the mindset you are doing it to get on the map and not for the money. Basically give your script away for little money if you know it will get made. Once you get some momentum then you can start charging good money for your scripts and eventually you'll be in demand, but at 1st just be happy if a your script gets made. Does that make sense?

Thanks, Ryan Little. It's a unique Christmas movie idea with a lot of snow. :)

Kim. Great question. FRESH is really important for standing out for sure. When it comes to Christmas movies that is hard since so many have been made. Fresh Christmas ideas are far a few between these days. In general I think scripts with a great TWIST in them seem to get the most traction in general. Perhaps coming up with a Christmas movie with a cool twist at the end that no one sees coming will make you stand out from the generic ones out there. Another thing to consider is to look on line at all the websites and YouTube videos that talk about the trademark events in Hallmark Christmas films. Those Things you see time and time again. Then do your best to go down the opposite path maybe. Be unpredictable whenever you can. Then you'll stand out. Again coming up with a fresh Christmas idea is hard to do. But if you love Christmas movies I am sure you'll come up with something great. It just take more time and effort than you originally planned.

Stephanie. So many different streaming platforms are making Christmas films now. All of them have different taste and are looking for different things. Some of them are not looking at spec scripts. They like to be pitched ideas and then have their hands into the development of the script. The production companies that are looking at spec scripts are not overly concerned about the formatting of the script. Since most of these scripts are made for TV they don't follow the tradition 3 act structure they have to be set up for the "seven act" structure to accommodate the commercial breaks and have a run time of around 85 mins. All that being said, I think that is all secondary to writing a script that is fun to read. If is is a fast read, feels original and has a page count less than 100 pages then I think you will do just fine. Once a company gets excited about your script you can attack the seven act structure and get it ready for shooting. Producers will always have notes no matter how much they love your script and they will have relationships with different distributors. They will tell you what they need you to add or take out to sell it to the Streaming services that will look at their films.

Betsy! Great question about writing to budget. True there are a lot of Christmas films that are made for around 500K, but to clarify those are usually made independently and then try to be acquired. Films made by Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, Paramount, Discovery +, etc are closer to the $2 million dollar mark (or even more) to compete with each other. When doing the independent Christmas film route its great when the producer reading it can see that it's doable on a tight budget. Some of things the producer is looking for is limited number of speaking roles, especially on a SAG production. More than 15 speaking parts starts to eat a lot of the budget. Try to pick locations that are not costly. If you have a very specific location that is essential to the story this might be a turn off to a producer since it could be expensive. If the script involves snow storms or stunt work that can scare off a producer on a small budget film. Also having a lot of locations is a sign that it will cost a lot. Most of these 500K productions are shot in 12 days and you don't want to do a company move in the the middle of the day. So if you shoot 12 days you really should not have more than 12 locations for the whole script. If most of the film takes place in only a few location you'll have a better chance of getting it green lit. Even though the budget is small producers do like to bring in a name actor for a couple days, maybe pay them 25-50K to be in a handful of scenes. If you can write an important character to the film that is seen as a mentor, a guide, gaurding angel or parent who gives good advice, etc then that can help to get a named actor to make an appearance. Then if you can design their scenes to be easy to shoot in 2 days with 2 or 3 locations max, and have these scenes spread throughout the script then it will feel less like a cameo and more like they are truly in the film. Hope these ideas help.

Maurice. Well if your script takes place in the snow then I highly recommend you shoot it in the winter. Making snow most of the time looks silly unless you have a really big budget.

Hi. Thanks for doing this! I want to approach a producer I know a little bit about a script but I am kind of nervous about it. I have been in about 5 or so of his movies( not in big role). How should I go about it? What should I say?

Hi, Ryan, thanks for taking time to talk to us today! I've adapted a Christmas script from one of my books. (I'm a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author.) I've worked with a couple of Stage 32 mentors to refine the script. It's more expensive than the typical Hallmark movie, maybe 3 million. I could make it less expensive, but that means stripping out the elements that make it special and somewhat different. Of course, I don't want to do that. Any advice?

Thanks, Ryan Little. I'm not going to film my script. I plan to pitch it. My script has a lot of snow, but it's a Contained script, so that should cut down on the budget.

Maurice. Got it. Well that sounds exciting! I'm sending good vibes your way that it happens very soon for you my friend.

I appreciate it, Ryan Little. Once I crack the story, it's gonna be an incredible Christmas script! I believe the idea is one of a kind. :) Much success to you in 2023!

Nicole! Well the good thing is you have a friendship with this producer, so talking to them about something you want to do is not coming out of left field. I think it will actually be well received since you have been a supporting actor in five of their films which means they value you and think you are a good reliable person. You have street credit with this producer because of that. Since you only have one shot at getting someone's attention really, I would suggest you have a pitch deck ready and also the draft of the script you can share that you feel good about. That way when you mention it to them and they are interested you can give them everything all at once quickly. In respect to what to say I think it can be as simple as "I've really enjoyed working with you on these past films and I have been paying attention to the care you put into your films and the kind of films you resonate with. I've been looking for something that I could bring you and I have something that I think you will really like. Can I share it with you?" If they ask you what it's about before you send them the pitch deck and the script have prepared a 30 second quick verbal pitch (aka "elevator pitch") that clearly presents the idea and genre of the film. You can even add the words "If you like the film ??? then you will love this script."

Does this help?

Great advice! ^^^^ All of your answers are, Ryan Little!

Hey Debra. Thanks for asking a question. Truthfully Hallmark is very tricky when it comes to pitching them a finished script. They really like to develop the scripts and stick to a 15 day shooting schedule on a very specific budget that is less than what is needed for your script. Also they don't acquire many finished films. Lifetime is better for that. But again they like to buy films that are closer to the $1 million dollar budget range. Since your script is more like a $3 million budget I would suggest trying to go with someone like Discovery +, Paramount or Netflix to sign on and make it. They are more loose with their budget range, specially when it comes to the actors they want to attach to it. Watering down your script might be hard to do anyway like you said. I would consider trying to talking with author "Richard Paul Evans" who has had a few of his books turned into Christmas films. The Netflix film "The Noel Diary" that just came out this year was based on one of his books. I am sure the budget of that film was at least $3 million. I am sure you can find Richard on Instragram or LinkedIn. You can even mention that I suggested you reach out to him. He knows me a little bit.

Great, Ryan! Will do. I'm going to watch your Christmas films. :) Have a Merry Christmas.

Thanks so much Ryan and happy holidays!

Debra. Always here to help if I can. Hope you enjoy the films.

Nicole. You're welcome. Thanks for the question. Merry Christmas!

Thank you Ryan for taking the time to answer so clearly and precisely to all of our questions, happy holidays !

I am currently working on a script for a short film that I have to shoot with a group of people. I refine the script based on the number of casts I have available and the budget. How do you think we can produce a better cinematic short film on small budget.

Thanks for all your answers, Ryan. Very helpful. I am going to check out your podcast, too.

Thanks Todd. Nice talking to you. The podcast has some great guest on it you might enjoy as well.

Abraham. Thanks for your question. When it comes to shorts people forget to make them "Short." So I think the best way to make a good short is to focus on making it tight and to the point. Trim out the fat and pace it up so it moves and fun to watch. That way you are spending time on quality of quantity. That has been my observation of good shorts. The next shorts I see are almost always under 10 mins. Audience members start to look at their watches and become a little distracted when it starts to get a longer than that. Shorts almost always benefit from having a good twist and quick resolve after the twist. Not all shorts have a twist that no one saw coming but it seems to work well in that format when you can do it. Also when it comes to shorts and tight budgets I would suggest on a little "reverse engineering" of sorts. Think about cool resources like locations and props, vehicles, etc you can get for free and see if you can make your story idea work in those locations and with those things. That way you'll get higher production value and make a more memorable film.

Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for answering our questions! I have a holiday script I am working on while working full time. Staying focused is hard. My question is should i focus on finishing it. I'm at 60 pages and then submit it everywhere and see where it lands or who bites?

Very impressive, Ryan.

Hi Ryan,

Awesome work! Congratulations on your reel success! It's such a lovely time of year to celebrate in movie art form - I am a great fan of the Christmas movie romance. Speaking of which, if someone has a concept they think is pretty cool for a general Christmas movie:

- How does one pitch the concept? What tips do you have to pitch a concept? (perfect the elevator pitch, themes, storyboard etc).

- Where/to whom should one piitch the concept?

- Does one need an agent?

- Any gems of wisdom for an overseas pitcher? (not from America).

- Is the movie art form/genre always looking for classical/traditional storylines or is there an opportunity to innovate?

I guess one should also do research too to see if their movie story idea/plot has already been done!

Cheers and thanks for paying it forward with your knowledge, insights and expertise!

Ryan, Congrats and Good Luck!

Just wanted to say this is a very generous offer, Ryan. Thanks for this.