On How to Write a Holiday Film

Jason Hellerman examines some of the structures and story lines common in the Holiday Film genre.

A "Chrismukkah tree" is decorated with J

Holiday weeks and weekends are some of the busiest at the box office. People love to gather with their families and head out for some entertainment. More often than not, holiday weekends are peppered with tie-in releases. When writing a script, you want the time and place to matter. For holiday scripts, the season and day function almost like a character in the film – and can be utilized to explain zany actions, set pieces, and time locks for the plot.
Let’s check out some Holiday (“Chrismahanukwanzaka”) movies to see how they use the seasonal celebrations to help their screenplays:

THE JOURNEY FILM:

Typically, the journey film involves one or more characters on a wild adventure to get home. Each of them uses the holiday as a time lock, or a goal the leads must accomplish by a certain time. Whether it’s a promise they made to a spouse, a deal for money, or a favor, these movies make their characters suffer through bad transportation, assignments, and interesting bit characters trying to accomplish their missions.

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