MORE than 100 people will this weekend take part in the filming of what has become a new Christmas tradition in Whitchurch.
Nativity the Movie III involves more than 50 children and young people and an equal number of production crew members and is being filmed at secret locations in and around the Whitchurch area.
The film?s director, the Rev Andrew Williams, said: ?We thought we might only ever do this once, but it just keeps growing!?
New to this year?s production and making their film debut are Spike, Julie, Mike and Maisie, a company of Muppet-like puppets that regularly appear at St Andrew?s Church.
Andrew said: ?Our plan is that they will appear to move in and out of the film.
?This means bringing cameras and a whole box of new tricks into the church on Christmas Eve ? we have camera men and women in training!
?We are fortunate to have an excellent team of puppeteers at the church, many of them from our youth group, and it seemed a natural step to bring this characters into the film.?
Andrew said this year?s production, the third since he joined St Andrew?s Church as curate, is the most ambitious film project yet.
The actors are drawn from St Andrew?s Sunday Club, Whitchurch Pre-School and Primary School, St Rumon?s and St Peter?s schools and Tavistock College.
Many of them will be playing two parts in telling the story of the very first Christmas Eve 2,000 years ago, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
The film will be shown at two special candlelit crib services at 4.30pm and 6.15pm at St Andrew?s Church, Whitchurch, on Christmas Eve.