Saturday, October 17 will mark the debut of Hallmark Channel‘s “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story.”
The third entry in Hallmark’s ongoing collaboration with the NFL, the new film — part of the annual “Countdown to Christmas” holiday movie lineup —was filmed on location in Chicago back in August, starring Robert Buckley and Lyndsey Fonseca.
Ahead of the movie’s premiere, The Hollywood Reporter is sharing some behind-the-scenes insights on the making of the anticipated new film.
Creating Christmas
Hallmark’s Christmas movies are typically shot in the summer, with filmmakers using a variety of cinematic tricks to create the illusion of a snowy winter during a steamy summer.
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, that was particularly challenging when filming “A Bears Love Story,” given that Chicago was hit by a sizzling heatwave while production was underway. That required special measures to keep actors cool.
“Our wardrobe department has gotten us ice packs that are essentially on a spandex band, so that you can put them around your lower back,” Buckley told THR on the set back in August. “You basically have a giant block of ice on your lower back.”
His co-star praised the crew for their efforts at ensuring actors weren’t overwhelmed by the heat. “We have a really great team around us, patting sweat down from us, grabbing our coats and giving us handheld fans” between takes, Fonseca shared.
Meanwhile, the film’s producer, Andrew Gernhard explained that air-conditioned areas and water stations were utilized when filming outdoors, while background actors wearing winter gear could take advantage of these cooling spots when necessary.
Filming Outside Chicago Wasn’t An Option
While the majority of Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies film in and around Vancouver, it’s important that the “Holiday Touchdown” movies are filmed in the city that hosts each team represented in the franchise. For that reason, recreating the Windy City in British Columbia simply wasn’t an option for the third “Holiday Touchdown” movie.
“We’re a storytelling brand, and we want the authenticity of the storytelling to come through,” Hallmark Media president Darren Abbott told THR “Part of that is making sure that we represent the community where the teams play and where the fandom comes to life. I think that’s about as important as any aspect.”
And while the storyline follows a template that will be highly recognizable for Hallmark Channel fans, Abbott insists that’s by design.
“Are there aspects of our storytelling that follow a formula? Yes,” Abbott said. “There’s going to be great character development. There’s going to be the relationship and the love story. I mean, our movies are rom-coms. We have diversified our storytelling over the last few years, but at the same time, we don’t stray too far from what we know the audience wants. We happily embrace the Hallmark story elements. … But one of the ways that we’ve diversified our storytelling is through these types of brand partnerships. It shines a cultural spotlight on the story — puts us into the zeitgeist, if you will.”
That, added Gerhard, is particularly true when it comes to the NFL-themed “Holiday Touchdown” franchise.
“I think what makes these movies unique is the fact that they do they go with the culture, the town, the people,” says Gernhard, who also produced last years “A Bills Love Stor.”
“What was great about the Bills is that we went to Buffalo and really got into the culture. It’s the same with the Bears,” he added. “We’re staying in the city. We’re shooting in the city. We’re shooting at Soldier Field, at Halas Hall. We’re shooting at a firehouse. We’re shooting in the neighborhoods. When people see how well Hallmark crafted this for this city and for these people, for this culture, I think they’re really going to connect.”
“Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story” premieres Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
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Behind the Scenes of Hallmark’s ‘Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story’