Editors Spill the Secrets of Christmas Cutting
The Christmas ad season has been in full swing for a while now, and at this point we’re used to getting our heartstrings tugged at. Campaigns around this time of year are hard wired to evoke festive nostalgia, remind us of better times, and bring some magic into our day.
This is no small feat – directors, colourists, sound designers and editors rally together on these variously-sized projects to chase the perfect mix of joy, fascination, glitz and tears. Today, we want to look at the last group. How do editors bring these enchanting stories to life? Some of Final Cut’s talented editors – Rick Russell, James Rosen, and Amanda James – promised to uncover the secrets behind crafting these seasonal masterpieces.
“Every film has its own language,” Amanda, who worked on this year’s John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, explained. Whether it’s the whimsical charm of a friendly giant or the heartfelt journey of two siblings in John Lewis, the key lies in finding the right rhythm and tone. Music plays a pivotal role in heightening emotions, a sentiment echoed by James. For him, the challenge often lies in selecting a fresh, evocative track that resonates without veering into cliché.
The stakes are high, too. As Rick reminds us, these ads are held in high esteem, just like the Super Bowl for the US ad industry. Balancing the holiday atmosphere with clear storytelling demands meticulous pacing and transitions. While the seasonal backdrop adds richness, the core message must always shine through. “Good storytelling always has to be your mantra,” Rick stresses.
Here, we find what challenges Amanda, Rick and James have faced while cutting Christmas stories – from orchestrating emotional beats with music, to crafting visual splendor without overshadowing the story. This is how they make us laugh, cry, and remember the Christmas crop for years to come.
LBB> Christmas ads often aim to evoke strong emotional reactions, whether it's warmth, nostalgia, or joy. How do you approach establishing and maintaining this tone through your editing choices, such as pacing, transitions, and music selection? Are there overarching rules or is it always a case-by-case basis?
Amanda> It’s always case-by-case. Every film has its own language, the challenge is to find it. On this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas ad, so much of the magic is baked in with the revival of the ‘BFG’. He is such an evocative character, he alone is enough to carry people on a wave of nostalgia so doing any of that through the edit really wasn’t an issue. Similarly, with John Lewis, the sisterly story had an inherent quality to it with great performances drawn out from the cast and that made my job relatively easy. There are obviously a lot of scenes and transitions to think of, but those performances are the glue that holds it all together – they take us on the journey to buying ‘the perfect gift’. Music obviously plays a huge role too – probably even more so in a Christmas ad as everything is so heightened. You can really lean into music to help draw out the emotion.
James> Regardless of what I’m working on, I’ll always aim for maximum emotional impact and to most effectively draw out the storytelling, but I’ve found with Christmas ads there’s a tendency to be more playful when it comes to fantasy and fun, edging closer to cliche than normal. Music is the real game changer though, and it has become increasingly difficult to find a track that’s fresh and surprising.
LBB> Christmas commercials can sometimes lean heavily on visual splendour or festive elements. How do you strike a balance between showcasing the seasonal atmosphere and ensuring the core message remains clear and impactful?
Amanda> To be honest, I don’t think the Christmas element makes any difference, at least not on the John Lewis and Sainsbury’s spots. There is a visual richness to both films, of course, but they are also both authentic and the atmosphere is almost under-played. Sure, Sainsbury’s has to show a lot of exquisite-looking food but those shots are buried neatly within the BFG’s world. With John Lewis, none of the Christmas stuff was over-played – it all felt very real (apart from the giant heap of presents in the middle of an ice rink). It was refreshing not to have scenes with a generic family in matching pyjamas opening their prezzies on Christmas morning.
Rick> Good storytelling always has to be your mantra.
James> There’s always a magic balance to be struck between messaging and story, Christmas or otherwise. Once the edit progresses we might discover certain scenes or moments can be safely removed to maximise impact and clarity of both message and story. There might be repetition, lulls in the pacing, or simply scenes that didn’t work as well as we’d hoped, so editing them out is all in the name of creating the most effective piece of work. Balancing message and story will lead to inevitable disagreements across departments as everyone protects their greatest aspirations for the work, but the Christmas period always brings extra pressure for the ad to work hard.
LBB> What is the collaboration process like for a Christmas ad compared to other types of projects? Do clients or directors typically have more specific visions when it comes to achieving a holiday ‘feel’?
Amanda> I was incredibly lucky to cut two of the biggest Christmas campaigns this year with John Lewis and Sainsbury’s – I’m still pinching myself! I have worked with both of the directors many times before – Francois Rousolette for John Lewis and Sam Brown for Sainsbury’s – so this process was much like anything else we’ve done together. In both scenarios, it felt like we were afforded the time we needed to make these films as good as they could be, none of the crazy tight schedules we have to contend with normally, so the whole edit process felt relaxed. If only they could all be like that!
Rick> Christmas adverts always have an added pressure of expectation within the industry and the general public and press coverage, so there's always an element of competition – it's the UK's version of the Super Bowl.
James> Certain brands go all in for the Christmas spirit, others might adopt a more subtle approach. Hopefully the entire team are in agreement about the desired ‘feel’ of a spot before production starts so that the footage matches expectations. Otherwise the edit process will involve a tug of war on all fronts as creative decisions such as colour, music and sound design are considered and used to nudge the film one way or the other.
LBB> What are some unique challenges you’ve encountered when editing Christmas commercials that differ from working on other types of ads? Are there any specific techniques or creative choices that are exclusive to holiday-themed projects?
Amanda> Essentially, the brief with a Christmas ad is to make people cry, or at least feel a little bit warm ‘n’ fuzzy, not something required of a car or a fizzy drink ad.
But, as I said before, these things are normally hard-wired into the idea, so from an editorial point of view, I’m not sure it’s that much different. In my work, I always go for the emotions (even in a fizzy drink or car ad) so I’d approach this in the same way as any edit.
Obviously there’s the music. I’m not sure it’s exclusive to Christmas ads, but music choice does seem to carry a lot of weight, particularly on something like John Lewis.
Rick> You just have to fit the editing style and techniques to suit the spot. Some are simple live action, and some have complicated live action and animation combos which require a few more avid layers to show for approvals.
James> The only creative choice in the edit that’s exclusive to seasonal work is the music. Unless we’re using a pre-approved track, it’s a huge challenge to find tracks that haven’t been used too much, that aren’t too obvious, that appeal to the right audience and ultimately are usable and not too expensive.
We’re often delving into alternate versions or unknown artists for that gem of a track that really stands out. For Milka Christmas 2023, Duncan Christie (director) found a wonderful unknown teenage band on YouTube that covered ‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Queen that brought a lovely innocence to the story being told, but it was ultimately swapped out. Of course, it’s the worst feeling to finally settle on a fantastic track that everyone loves only to find it can’t be cleared or the artist themselves won’t release it, and for that reason we often have one or two backup tracks, just in case.
LBB> Holiday ads often rely on music, sound design, and visual rhythm to evoke feelings of nostalgia and joy. How do you use these elements in your edits to create an emotional connection with viewers? Can you share an example where a particular choice made a big difference to the final cut.
Amanda> In Sainsbury's 2024 Christmas ad, the big orchestral score by Alex Baranowski really helped to give the film a richness and magic that’s appropriate for the ‘BFG’. We worked closely with Alex during the edit to ensure the music underscored all the emotional beats and transitions, it was a lovely experience and really helped bring things to life. I’m gutted I couldn't make it to the live recording at Abbey Road. I hear it was wonderful.
With John Lewis, you are very aware of the anticipation of what that track is going to be. Historically, they’ve always done the Christmassy cover of an existing track. That was something that the agency and client wanted to avoid this time around and it actually felt quite maverick to put an original track on there. ‘Sonnet’ by The Verve is filled with nostalgia for a large chunk of the viewing public, so that’s why it really struck a chord. We did try a bunch of other tracks, a big bunch, but this one really stood out. I saw a lot of people on YouTube lamenting the fact that it's not a saccharine-voiced cover, but give me Richard Ashcroft any day of the week!
Rick> The music track has even more scrutiny than usual. Recent years have seen stripped back covers of famous songs to set the emotional tone. This year, the two ads I worked on went against this trope – McDonald's went from a light show to a 00s’ club classic ‘Satisfaction by Benny Benassi, while The Entertainer’s spot twisted the cover idea to make a deliberately lonely and sad version of Roxette's ‘It Must’ve Been Love’ used ironically.
James> Christmas music is always a joy to work with because it’s so loaded with emotion. It’s an easy win but it remains difficult to get absolutely right. Sound design allows for more subtle tugging of the heart strings, creating the right atmosphere and focus on the story. Rhythm is more dependent on the style and genre of the film and I’ll want to cut it with a pace that allows the audience to engage as much as possible, usually at a slower pace for more emotionally-leaning work.
For 'Temptations' directed by Sam Brown, we ended up with two tracks: the seasonal favourite, ‘Deck The Halls’, followed by a heavy rock library track for the second. ‘Deck The Halls’ was perfect for the festive setup, the jolly nature of the vocal heightened the absurdity of the premise. When all hell breaks loose, the intensity and pace of the heavy metal track actually allowed me to cut slower, making the cat mayhem much funnier. Both tracks allowed me to structure the film in the right way, using the music to lead us from one section to the other.
