Page 108 of Christmas at the Movies
Holly and some of the other extras, including Ian and Hermione, were playing carollers in a choir. Wearing Christmas jumpers, woolly scarves and Santa hats, they stood in front of a big Christmas tree waiting for their cue. They’d been waiting there for hours …
First, there had been a problem with the snow machine. Then Noa had decided that the Christmas tree didn’t have enough decorations on it, sending Aaron scurrying off to find more. And when they were finally ready to shoot, Miahad refused to come out of her trailer. Mateo had been dispatched to try to coax the leading lady out.
Sarah stamped her feet to warm them up, wishing she’d thought to wear snow boots instead of trainers. She’d been hanging out with Iris and Sam while waiting for the filming to start. The two young mums were sipping mulled wine, making the most of their kid-free night out.
‘I’m celebrating,’ said Iris. ‘Henry slept through till six this morning. No night-time feeds!’
‘Woohoo!’ Sam clinked her glass against Iris’s.
Sarah smiled too, remembering how massive that milestone felt when Holly and Nick were babies. Now, she had to practically drag them out of bed!
‘Hey,’ said a voice behind her. James had just arrived with Nick and the twins in tow. The kids were throwing handfuls of fake snow at each other. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Slowly,’ said Sarah. At this rate, they’d still be here on Christmas morning!
James checked his watched and frowned. ‘But the movie starts at nine.’
‘Here they come now.’ Sarah pointed to the stars approaching the set. Mia, as the elegant city girl, looked chic in a cashmere coat and furry hat, while Mateo, playing the inn’s handyman, looked ruggedly handsome in a tartan lumberjack jacket and jeans. Make-up artists swarmed around the actors, adjusting their hair and touching up their make-up.
‘Finally!’ snapped Noa, leaping out of his canvas director’s chair. ‘Let’s get going. Time is money, people.’
‘Too right,’ muttered a crew member. Sarah remembered from her BBC days that night shoots were more expensive than day shoots – and this one was massively overrunning.
A props person handed Mia a handbag and a cup of hot chocolate, and an assistant steered her to her mark, right by the choir.
‘Quiet on set,’ called Noa through a megaphone.
‘Take one,’ announced Kirsty, the second assistant director. ‘Scene twenty-five.’ She snapped the clapperboard. Then the cameras began to roll and the choir started to sing.
‘This is the big romantic scene near the end of the movie,’ Sarah whispered to the kids. ‘It’s when Ben – that’s Mateo – finally tells Eve that he loves her.’
‘Ooh!’ said Julia. ‘I love romantic movies.’
Nick and Adam groaned.
‘Eve!’ called Mateo, running across the market square. ‘Eve! I need to talk to you!’
‘It’s too late,’ said Mia, stepping away from the choir. ‘I’m going back to the city.’
‘No, I’ve waited too long to tell you how I feel,’ said Mateo. ‘I’ve tried to fight my feelings, but it’s no use. I’m hopelessly in love with you.’
Sarah got goosebumps listening to the actors say the words she’d written.
‘I love you too,’ said Mia.
Sarah silently mouthed the next line along with Mateo: ‘Then we owe it to ourselves to give this another chance.’
Dropping her shopping bag on the ground, Mia stood on her tiptoes to kiss Mateo. Snow began to drift down from the snow machines and the choir started to sing again.
‘Ahhh!’ sighed Julia.
Nick and Adam rolled their eyes.
‘And … cut!’ called Noa.
The two actors pulled apart, laughing as they broke character. The watching crowd applauded. Only Noa looked unhappy.
‘We need to go again,’ he said. ‘Mia, can you try to actually look like you want to kiss Mateo this time?’
