Student, Carley Smale, Writes Netflix Original: Midnight at the Magnolia
Carley Smale is currently in the Film & Television – Business program, a one-year Graduate Certificate program that provides students with the skills needed to navigate the business side of television and film production. However, Carley is no stranger to this industry, as she has worked as a successful screenwriter for about four years. In fact, it was because of her experience writing screenplays that she discovered she did not know enough about the business side of this industry. She says, “I would love to hopefully someday produce the things that I write so that I can have more control over the creative aspects, like casting and directing.” When researching programs, Carley says, “It seemed like Centennial’s program was perfect. It was the only program I could find that was exactly what I was looking for.”
Prior to Centennial, Carley took the four-year Film and Media program at Humber College, where she specialized in screenwriting after discovering her passion for it. After one of her instructors suggested she intern at a production company that makes made-for-TV movies, Carley ended up successfully doing just that. “I realized there’s a whole world out there that’s Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies, so I started pitching ideas to the company,” she says. Although it took some time for her boss to warm up to the idea of Carley pitching ideas, one of her film ideas sold, and it changed everything. As a result, she became in charge of all things Christmas related at the company. “My boss wanted me to read everything Christmas and then eventually start writing original stuff. That’s how I got my first writing credit for a movie called The Christmas Parade,' she explains.
In 2015, Carley moved on from that company and continued to write full-time in the hope of signing with an agent. Within a year, she wrote scripts for Christmas Pen Pals and Snowed-Inn Christmas. After sending those scripts off to various literary agencies, she was signed by an agent, which eventually led to those scripts turning into movies!
The more recent movie Carley has written, Midnight at the Magnolia, began differently than previous ones, as it started with an idea that was presented to her by a producer. After going through the producer’s notes, Carley was able to turn the idea into a script, and it led to the making of the film. In January, Carley visited the film set in Ottawa, and after asking producers what they were going to do with the movie, they told her the plan was to finish it and see who they could sell it to. Much to Carley’s surprise, they eventually told her it was going to be a Netflix Original! The movie premiered on Netflix worldwide on November 5th, except for Canada and France, and has already made the list of favourite holiday movies for many viewers. Canadians will get the chance to check it out on TV, as it premiers on December 3rd and will eventually make its way to Netflix Canada. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
Carley hopes to continue writing screenplays after graduating from Centennial but also aspires to be on the producing side of it all. She explains that “working side-by-side with other producers and being more involved in the business decisions and creative decisions behind getting the movie made, like locations, actors, and music,” would be ideal. She also feels prepared that her program will get her there. “The teachers make it really clear that they will continue to help us as we are going into the real world, so just knowing that they are there to ask questions to, is super amazing.” Carley says completing the program online has also been great. “It’s too bad that I’m not able to physically go to class, but they have done a great job with the online stuff. The teachers are really understanding about taking breaks from Zoom for our eyes and our mental health. It has been a really great experience so far, and I really look forward to most of the classes.”
She also has some advice for those wanting to get into screenwriting. She shares, “The best thing you can do if you want to get into screenwriting is to just read lots of scripts because that will always make you a better writer. Then just write things that you would actually watch. I think some people go, I’m going to write a Christmas movie because they are really popular right now, but if you’re someone who hates Christmas and doesn’t watch rom-coms, then it is probably not the best genre for you to be writing in and you’re probably not going to write a great script. Write in the genre that you love and that you actually want to watch, and your script will probably be way better than someone else who is probably just doing it to be trendy.”
To find out more about the movies Carley has written, including Midnight at the Magnolia, check out her IMDb page full of trailers and further details.
Congratulations on this exciting achievement, Carley!
By: Alexandra Few