Tyler had talked about coming to Medicine Hat from Regina at the end of November for a visit and I suppose that's what sparked the idea for a Christmas short. I started writing out a rough script and thinking about locations which eventually had me focused on a simple comedic spin on the 'We Three Kings' Christmas carol.
As if on cue, the day that Tyler arrived we got snow. That Saturday morning you couldn't have asked for a better Christmas setting. The temperature was cool, but not cold, the snow was untouched and sticking to the trees, and the wind was almost non-existent. Armed with our winter gear and our hastily constructed gold crowns, we headed down to Police Point, a giant natural park on the outskirts of the city to film.
The long and short of the story is that things continued without a hitch. Just as we were losing sunlight, we shot our final scenes. Our crowns held up as did our feet after an entire afternoon of walking around in brush and snow. With a few curious people looking on from their walks from time to time, the short came together relatively quickly, and surprisingly exactly how I'd written it.
As part of promoting this new project I cut together a teaser trailer. Thanks to my account on YobiFilm that trailer (at the time of this post) has already been viewed over 37,000 times on that site. To say that I've been excited about sharing this project is an understatement. I think it's turned out really well and I hope it helps to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Also, I'd like to thank my friend Tyler for helping me out once again in not only bringing my rough idea to life, but for getting just as energized about the project and injecting his own energy into the mix. I think the fun we had making this shows, and when you have no budget, enthusiasm is the best currency. So, without further delay, enjoy a short that we're sure to talk about for many Christmas' to come.
We Two Kings (2009)
We Two Kings - YouTube Version
