Narnia Filming Underway!

As expected, filming for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe started today at the old Hobsonville Air Base. The first scene being filmed is presumably the first scene in the movie as the children are arriving at a railway station. We’ve got a transcript of Mark Johnson’s interview and pictures of the set!

New Zealand television gives us this information:
-The film will open on the same date all over the world – Christmas 2005 (we presume this means Christmas Day).
-Filming is staying in Auckland until October, then moves for a month to the South Island and a month in the Czech Republic.
-There are three confirmed leads of the film are Tilda Swinton, Dawn French, and Rupert Everett. Many familiar New Zealanders have been cast but their identity is still secret.

Set Pictures!
Notice the lack of apostrophe in “Station Masters Office”

Screenshots from NarniaFans!

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TV3 News Interview with Mark Johnson 28/6/04

Scene: railway station “interior” showing one or more platforms, small shops (eg newsagents with newspapers displayed showing wartime headlines), signs for Station Masters Office [no apostrophe?] , Platform Number One, Metropolitan Railways, etc…
Among the set items shown while the voices are played over, is a large old-fashioned perambulator, and the interior of the corridor of the train.

Mark Johnson is interviewed by TV3 reporter on set:
MJ: …[I’ve been working] on this for about a year and a half, and Andrew Adamson for almost two years, so it’s interesting, because on the one hand we’re thrilled, and there were different times when we never quite thought we’d get to this point, and it’s so exciting to be there. It’s also – you have to understand we’ve been imagining the movie for such a long time, but starting today & in a strange way we have to stop imagining and actually make it finite.
Q: Is it a bit overwhelming, if you think of the task that lies before you? I mean, it’s day one of a hundred day shoot; you’ve still got a long way to go.
MJ: Yes, if you think of what we have to do, and the number of Extras, and the Locations we have in the South Island, and we’re doing this and we’re doing that, you’d probably achieve some sort of stasis and not be able to do anything!
The biggest pressure we’re getting is from ourselves. We feel a real responsibility. There are millions and millions of readers of C.S.Lewis, whose imaginations have embraced these books for a long, long time, and while we’re not necessarily going to give them exactly what they expect – everybody has a different idea in his or her mind – but we really do feel the burden of making this a story that’s both faithful to the book and then also embraces Andrew’s imagination.
Q: One of the interesting things I heard recently is that you guys have applied for a licence to import wolves and reindeer!
MJ: That’s right, that’s right. I think we’re gonna be a little fortunate with the wolves, but with the reindeer we’re having some trouble with them.
Q: Have you got any idea yet of when audiences might be able to see The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe?
MJ: LWW is going to open Christmas 2005 all over the world. It’s called a sort of “Day and Date Releasing”. So some films open in the States and they work themselves around the world. This one’s going to open in most of the world on the same day really,.. Christmas next year.
Q: That’s perfect, because with the time difference, New Zealand gets it first.
MJ: [enigmatic smile] That’s right, that’s true, so the premiere must be here then…..