So Many Santas!

One guy, a camera, computer and too much time.

John Wernega plays his music arrangement of “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.” This video shows some of the fun, crazy things that Santa likes to do throughout the year when he is not delivering presents.

Videography, choreography, costume design, and video editing by John Wernega

The multitrack audio was recorded in Garageband, the videos were recorded with a Sony A7sii mirrorless DSLR camera, and the videos and audio were edited together in Final Cut Pro. There were lots of green screens used for these recordings, hung on the wall behind, the floor below, and sometimes on the sides of John, while he recorded himself playing each instrument and doing the choreography.

He will be posting a few videos showing how he restored pieces of reflecting surfaces that disappeared in the keying process one frame at a time, sort of like the old school rotoscoping technique.

Special thanks to Dave Maahs for working the camera and handing me the saxophones and trombone while filming the ice skating scene, Marc Racine for providing the cowling photo for the profile of the biplane, Montemurro’s Barbershop for allowing me to use some of their wall decorations for the barbershop scene, Rottkamp farms for allowing me to use their tractor in the farm scene, Sam Regalbuto for making the gauntlets and sash for the marching band scene, Quaker City and Ferko String Bands for allowing me to use their percussion instruments, Chris Halpin and Woodland String Band for allowing me to use their bass saxophones, Jim Rivell for allowing me to use his electric bass, Bill Stumm and Leonard Alfarano for allowing me to use their upright basses, Dennis Ionata and Joe Brennan for allowing me to use their piccolo trumpets, and the Original Hobo Band of Pitman, NJ for allowing me to use their rehearsal hall for the filming.
All the vintage ornaments seen in the video are part of his personal collection.