Narnia Film Crew Takes Over Homes
The Press, Christchurch, Saturday November 6th. Page A18.
Writer: Robyn Bristow (NZPA story)
Demand for accommodation is at a premium in Springfield village as people descend on it for filming of C. S. Lewis’s classic tale, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Smylies Accommodation, the Springfield Hotel and even private homes are being used to accommodate the transport division of the film unit while it films at Flock Hill, 30 minutes drive away, between Porters and Arthurs passes.
Some people are also being accommodated in Christchurch, 50 minutes from Springfield. Smylies Accommodation was expecting its first guests yesterday afternoon with the main contingent arriving on November 17 after filming at Oamaru.
Owner Colin Pander said nine motel units had been booked along with all the single rooms at his youth hostel until about December 10 by what he believed to be the transport division of the unit.
It was a bonus to have people in what was normally a maintenance period, with the ski season just over and the summer season yet to start. Pander said the company had initially talked of needing 600 beds in and around the town, but he was unsure if it had been able to find that many.
Springfield hotel owners Sharmaine and Mike Evans were not sure when to expect their first guests. Sharmaine Evans said a house and some rooms at the hotel had been booked and people were expected to start arriving about mid-November. It had been difficult to get start dates.
She believed several locals had opted to give up their homes and move into a caravan at the camping ground, or move in with their parents, because it was worthwhile to rent out their homes.
Down south, the Waitaki Development Board has set up a film liaison group as the film crews descend on Oamaru to start filming. Board general manager Susan Houston said the liaison group would comprise members of the Waitaki Development Board, Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust and Tourism Waitaki.
“It will become a one-stop shop, basically. It will have all the right people in one place to handle all inquiries,” she said. The economic benefits were obvious. Other film companies were considering using the Waitaki District, and talks had been held with two other companies drawn to the area because of its uniqueness.
“Our scenery and history are great backdrops,” she said.
About 500 people had descended on the area for filming The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe, which started on Tuesday. Five weeks will be spent filming in the South Island.
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