Although Christmas season is a time for relaxation and time spent with loved ones, it is also filled with beautiful and romantic scenery. Perfect for your Christmas-themed dramas! As indie filmmakers, we don’t have the budgets to rent soundstages and build set pieces, so we have to resort to shooting on location. Location scouting can be difficult especially if you aren’t sure of what you’re looking for or if any scene ideas you have can’t be matched with any locations nearby. Luckily, the Edmonton area has a variety of events which you could use to your advantage for filmmaking!
The newly renovated Alberta Legislature Grounds features more than 57 acres of beautiful space. Every year during the festive season, the Alberta Legislature and surrounding area are lit up with approximately 180,000 LED lights! This gives you an amazing backdrop to use for your scenes. Musical performances and open-house visits are available to attend throughout the month to celebrate the season!
Glow Edmonton is a local favourite held at Edmonton Expo Centre. It is in indoor light festival, with this year’s theme being the Enchanted Forest! Explore through the towering trees and whimsical mushroom houses, with giant, gentle roaming creatures and interactive displays for use. Throughout the month, each day features an interactive themed event, such as a princess ball, ugly sweater couture and a superhero day. These themes and can give filmmakers a unique feel to their films with people enjoying festive activities.
The Edmonton Valley Zoo hosts their own holiday event with Zoominescence, which is an outdoor exhibition of artistic light installations nestled in the beautiful River Valley for all ages to enjoy. You might be starting to see a theme here… Lots of lights for the holiday season! It might seem redundant or stale, seeing all of these light exhibitions around the city, but each one has its own unique atmosphere that can provide a desired mood for your film. Some are cozy indoor events that involve a big group of people interacting with each other, while others are outdoors, chillier, less group-oriented and more focused on individual experiences. You can start to see how those aspects can start to tie into the theme of your film.
If you’re looking for something more adventurous and are willing to travel outside of Edmonton, Elk Island National Park is a great location for winter activities such as ice-skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and camping! It’s also a designated dark sky preserve which makes it a perfect spot to observe the Northern Lights during the winter. Elk Island gives many great ideas for your film production to use.
There are many more locations to choose from, such as Christmas markets, Candy Cane Lane, and craft fairs that provide their own individual setting. Before making your choice, it’s important to pick the location that serves the theme of your film the best. Happy holidays and happy filming!