Forget your white Christmas, reindeer and log fires. Reality in Australia and New Zealand over Christmas is sand in your salmon sandwiches with chilled bubbly and barbies on the beach. Sydney agency BMF have captured the spirit in this spot shot by Glue Society’s James Dive who we quizzed about the production.

We have to ask – it was all shot in camera wasn’t it? A few frames of extra Santas added in post perhaps?

Wrangling forty sodden Santas into every shot was a hard work, but it certainly made life in post production a breeze. Every single shot, apart from one where we slightly populated the frame, was shot in camera.

Did you have to wait for the perfect conditions or just go with it on the shoot day? And where?

We were locked into a specific shooting schedule, so we just had to pick a date and stick with it. However we did try to increase our odds by researching statistically what surf break would have the most surfing potential on that date. The final decision was Noosa in Queensland.

What camera did you use?

An Alexa.

Great editing, it so could have been overworked but is restrained. Is there miles of footage you didn’t use?

I think we had three hours of surfing alone. We shot the surfing from the water, the land and with an octocopter. So we were spoilt for choice.