Take a behind the scenes look at Las Cruces' most recent film, 'The Santa Assist'
Filmmaker Ross Marks brought the holiday season to Las Cruces early this year with his latest production, “The Santa Assist.”
Filming on this latest movie production in Las Cruces started in October and wrapped Nov. 17.
“The Santa Assist” is a romantic holiday comedy that follows Santa Claus’ “cowboy” cousin, Colton, who is sent by the big man himself to “bring holiday cheer to a small New Mexico town in jeopardy,” according to a news release. It’s there that Colton meets Natalie, a single mom raising a deaf son.
The film stars Eric Roberts (“Runaway Train,” “The Expendables”) as Santa Claus, Eliza Roberts (“National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “The Tasmanian Devil”) as Mrs. Claus, Jonathan Stoddard (“Furry Little Christmas,” “The Young and the Restless”) as Colton and Alexandra Harris (“God’s Not Dead: We the People,” “The Veil”) as Natalie.
Las Cruces’ Ross Marks (“Walking with Herb,” “The Heart Outright”) directed the holiday film and Mary Haarmeyer and Judy Pennell wrote the screenplay.
The movie is also a co-production with New Mexico State University’s Creative Media Institute and employed 26 students who worked in various crew member roles.
Filming took place at the Grapevine Plaza where the indoor area was transformed into a Christmas market. Marks said filming also took place on the Mesilla Plaza, at a Mesilla store, a private home and at a ranch in Doña Ana.
Marks added that the “small New Mexico town” the film is set in is actually going to be Ruidoso. Scenes from the wintry town were shot outside of the filming schedule and will set the scene for the comedy.
“You can just feel the presence of the community as we make the movie,” Stoddard said. “It just feels really comfortable and homey for me.”
Stoddard added that while he has never filmed in New Mexico before, his mother was born in El Paso and his family spent a lot of time in the area when he was young.
He said it didn’t feel like the CMI crew members were students. The level of professionalism on set was high.
“Experience is one thing. Having a good heart and wanting to do a good job is a totally other thing,” he said. “They’re stepping up and they’re showing up and they’re doing everything they can to make this awesome.”
Harris said she believes Las Cruces has an “excellent young generation stepping up to the plate,” making the area even more appealing for productions.
As for the movie, she said the characters are playful and interact with each other in a “sweet and honest” way.
“I’m a sucker and a half for a cheesy rom-com, so it’s my favorite thing to do. I love film as escapism. I think there’s a lot of stuff in the world today that’s kind of sad and hard and I think sitting down to watch a movie that’s just all hearts and rainbows and feeling good inside is worth doing. Good for your mental health and good for everybody really,” Harris said.
“The Santa Assist” is in the next phase of production and is scheduled to be released to audiences in December 2024.
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on X, formerly Twitter.
A look behind the scenes of Las Cruces films
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: A look behind the scenes of Las Cruces film, 'The Santa Assist'
