'Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the Mouse House—also known as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL—there were a lot of creatures stirring. It was time to shoot portions of Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, a special that will air on Dec. 25 on ABC and Disney+ (and Hulu the next day).
My family happened to be in the park on Nov. 9, so I skipped Space Mountain and went into reporter mode on Main Street. And while many park guests were enamored with what co-host Julianne Hough was wearing, I was talking to members of the crew about their gear.
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According to the crew members who spoke with me briefly (they were in the middle of production, after all), it was a 10-camera shoot. The cameras were a mix of Sony VENICE and VENICE 2 digital cinema cameras equipped Fujinon and Canon lenses. I was also seeing Sachtler tripods and some OConnor heads. The crew was also a blend of employees and freelancers.
One camera was mounted on a crane to provide a birds-eye view of the parade. Others were positioned on the route to provide coverage of the parade as well as Hough and co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, who were positioned below a large Christmas tree in the Town Square area of Main Street (a popular spot for photographs). While the duo was shot in the early afternoon, two large ARRI lots were positioned to provide more consistent lighting throughout their segments.
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By the way, the parade itself included appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, plus a variety of other well-known Disney animated and live action characters. Yes, that included several Disney Princesses. The parade concluded with an appearance by Santa Claus and his wife. Check out a short segment of the hosts in action below.
