Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
OREM — Some filmmakers talk of making backyard movies as kids, always seeing the world through the imagined eyes of the famed Alfred Hitchcock, or Steven Spielberg. A bulky portable VCR and camera provided occasional fun for siblings Brittany Wiscombe and Brian Brough, who grew up in Las Vegas, but their sights were never set on Hollywood.
"We never saw it as a career, just a kid film or school project here and there," recalled Brough.
He took a single film class, which led to film school at Brigham Young University and that's where he caught the filmmaking bug. Wiscombe graduated with a degree in print journalism, assuming she'd write for a newspaper.
Brough described an internship required of all film students he suspects was designed to show students the profession was not all glitz and glamour. As student after student became disillusioned by the tedium of set-dressing and setting up and filming the same scene from different angles, with much downtime in between, Brough was mesmerized.
After school, he began working on film sets, always other people's projects. As he gained steady work, he began suggesting his sister join him and take positions on film crews.
Brough and Wiscombe eventually took their experience and created a side business, putting the edited college film projects of Brough and some of his BYU classmates on VHS tape for distribution via Deseret Book. The pair adjusted to the advent of DVDs and digital filmmaking, over time, eventually distributing films beyond Deseret Book and throughout the country.
Wiscombe said, "It was a lot of sacrifice for years, we didn't pay ourselves for a long time."
The two paid the bills working on other film projects, and gained further experience, while building the foundation for what would become the Orem-based Candlelight Media Group.
After completing their first original feature film, the pair did what most independent filmmakers do and entered it in film festivals and held screenings in Los Angeles and New York City. Visions of a big-dollar sale of the film seemed possible, as several studios, including Warner Brothers and Miramax, screened the film.
After the Miramax screening at their offices in New York City, the company decided the film wasn't right for it, but introduced Brough and Wiscombe to the ABC Family network (as it and Miramax were both part of the Disney family at the time).
ABC Family licensed the on cable TV under its original title, "Everything You Want," but it now goes by a different title, "Love Surreal," on Prime Video. Brough produced the film, which was directed by "Saints and Soldiers" director Ryan Little. Brough was one of several producers working on that film, as well.
We film Christmas year-round but we love filming in winter in Utah as much as possible.
–Brian Brough
That experience opened the pair's eyes to the cable TV market for their work, one which they hadn't thought of previously. DVD was still in its prime and the pair rode that wave, until it crashed.
Digital streaming was next up, and Candlelight had projects on both Hulu and Netflix. As the stature and audience of those companies grew, they gradually moved away from independent fare and turned their attention to the bigger studios.
Making the big screen
In addition to Candlelight focusing on family-friendly, romantic films, the company is a family-run business. As Brough and Wiscombe's parents realized the pair was set on making filmmaking a career, they helped fund the start of the production company. Today their parents and siblings run the business side of the company, while Brough and Wiscombe focus on the creative side.
Over the years, the duo has worked with outside producers, directors and writers, but for many years now, they have tried to have as much financial and creative control as possible as producers. Wiscombe writes the projects and Brough typically directs.
Their most recent film, available across several streaming services, "Cinderella in the Caribbean," featured the pair as two of its four producers. Wiscombe wrote the screenplay, and Brough directed it.
Wiscombe has started directing, as well, including the recent films "Destined at Christmas" and its sequel, "Destined 2." She wrote and directed both films.
While Candlelight has filmed all over the world, including projects in Turkey and Costa Rica, most include at least some scenes in Utah. In addition to their production and business offices in Orem, a warehouse includes room to build sets and store countless movie props and wardrobe pieces.
Artisans build what they don't already have, and enough Christmas decor fills the shelves to open a holiday-themed retail store.
Family-friendly Christmas films have gained in popularity over the years — filling Hallmark, Great American Family and other channels and streaming services throughout November and December — and Candlelight has made many of those. Candlelight's Christmas movies are filmed entirely in Utah — two are being filmed now, to take advantage of winter scenery and snow at various outdoor locations.
At least one of the two, tentatively titled "Jade Frost," will be released later this year. Candlelight and crew filmed that on Valentine's Day at Lindon's Wadley Farms.
It is a frequently used location for Candlelight. The farm's castle, a popular meeting, banquet and wedding facility, served the production team well as multiple rooms in one large building could be used to shoot multiple scenes. The farm has been an outdoor backdrop in other film productions, as well.
Brando White stars in the film alongside Emily Sweet, a Los Angeles based actress. White, who lives in Provo, has appeared in several films and an episode of the hit television series "Yellowstone."
The filmmakers also recently took advantage of abundant snow near Sundance Resort for several takes in outdoor scenes.
"We film Christmas year-round but we love filming in winter in Utah as much as possible," said Brough. "We don't have to worry about green leaves on trees and actors don't have to fake being cold — and real snow always films best."
