Narnia Winter Pictures From the Czech Republic

A Czech news site has posted 42 pictures from the winter shooting currently going on in the Czech Republic. Most of the pictures show props being used in the film. Notably, we get a very nice view of the door to Tumnus’ cave (see right).

See all the pictures (Czech website)

Click this link to read the story (in Czech language)

Click this link to read the story (in English)

Many thanks NarniaWeb’s own Dooby who has also translated the story. (Remember that this is a translation so don’t take anything too literally!)

Shrek Director Shoots Film in Tisé!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is one of the most anticipated films of 2005. Our reporter managed to hunt out the filming––in the scenic town of Tisé!

Everyone who is currently visiting the alpine town of Tisé is in for an eye-opener. At the moment, people are running across snow-covered rocky surfaces around areas sectioned off with reddish coloured tape. There are people who climb with resolve, patiently creating various scenes, and also safety agents, who watch over everything. But what is it? Here they are busy shooting scenes for the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The film is taking the ideas from the famous English book written by Clive Staples Lewis, and it is being overseen by Shrek director Andrew Adamson. Our Ústeckého týdeníku reporter managed to get into a restricted area to give us this account of the film shooting.

A part of the alpine town of Tisé has been transformed into the legendary Narnia, as seen on the official trailer, which has already been produced. After just a short while, you see a quaint door, through which a few mysterious characters are walking. The narrow door-like hole is depressed into the rock. And not only that. Throughout the rocky wall surface also rise gigantic unusual self-supported timber branches, which bend down beneath a snowy mass. Closer scrutiny shows that the timber isn’t real. It has all been brought here from New Zealand, and is being set up via helicopter. “All the proceedings are reputedly climbing towards costing a million dollars”, states a security guard, who stands amidst the snow day and night to shield scenes from uninvited audiences. He stands here alone while the safety people and film crew are around.

You can’t just come to film in Tisé without permission. The environment of the scenic town is protected. Consequently the filmmakers had to obtain an administrative pass for the protected Elbe Sandstone Region. “Our town is renting them cottages so that they can stay here with their equipment. It is cold here, but they were being unused anyway”, said mayor of Tisé, Zdeněk Apt.

The film is being jointly developed and produced by Walden Media and Disney. The director is Andrew Adamson, one of the creators of the popular animated film Shrek. Most of the material has already been filmed in New Zealand. Within the Czech Republic itself some scenes are being filmed in Barrandově and the northern Czech Republic. “More filming will occur in Poland or Great Britain”, stated media representative Michaela Olexová. The task of creating the special effects has been given to the Weta studio, which has become famous for its work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you enjoyed the set design, costumes, weaponry, and computer animation of this trilogy, you will be entranced with the Chronicles of Narnia. It has been designed with sixty species, including fights between various creatures and weapons inspired by Greek mythology.

At the moment the filming of various scenes has already been slowed. The filmmakers waited especially until there was noticeably enough snow so that they could obtain their best takes. Ironically, however, there is now sufficient snow to complicate filming. According to our information, the filmmakers should have begun to film daytime scenes in the Usti region this week, but have had to postpone it for an indeterminate amount of time. When it is all finished, the film will go up to the cutting room. It will appear in cinemas in 2005.

The film-going public is expectant, but the film shall surely have box-office success. The cost of filming is overshooting one hundred million dollars, but the film will be successful in the same way as fantasy works of recent years, whether it be Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. The critics are waiting, but in 2005, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be contesting for the attention of cinema-goers with other fourth quarterly films including the new Harry Potter sequel, and King Kong, which is being filmed by another Kiwi––famed director of Lord of the Rings and close friend of Andrew Adamson––Peter Jackson.

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia tell of a world where mythical creatures, giants, dwarfs, and talking animals live, and where there are underworlds that nobody has ever glimpsed. In the first book, the plot involves four heroic children––Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy––who get into a magic wardrobe. Here they become acquainted with their new friend, the talking lion Aslan. Narnia is under a conjured spell of snow, and the children and Aslan must break this curse. In subsequent books the children grow up, and over the course of the series they become present less often, however Lewis also explains how the witch and the world originated.

The first television adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia arose as far back as 1967 and was in the form of a black and white serial. Following in 1979 was an animated cartoon version of the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Later, another adaptation of the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was aired by British television station BBC, who released in episodes the first of three films encompassing the first four books. These miniseries were filmed during the years 1988-1990. Each of the three films in the series had six episodes, including some plot overlay between books. The tales of Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader work together in two and four episodes with the storyline of both books. These series were aired on Czech television in 1993.

Clive Staples Lewis

He was born on the 29th of November 1898 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1925 he became a teacher of English language and literature at Oxford College. Here he pieced together folk tales and stories. During this time he met the author of Lord of the Rings, J.R.R Tolkien, who inspired him greatly. In the 50s his seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia were published. He was presented with the Carnegie Medal in 1956 for the last volume in the series. He married American author Joy Davidman so that she couldn’t be deported from Great Britain. Clive Staples Lewis died on the 22nd of November 1963 at “The Kilns” in Oxford.

Andrew Adamson

New Zealand director Andrew Adamson has directed only two films, but is already famous within the film industry. He stormed the Oscars, receiving the prize for the animated film Shrek and the no lesser-famed sequel, Shrek 2. He has already worked in the film industry for longer than that. He is celebrated, for example, for creating special effects for Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. He is also a good friend of Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson. At present, Adamson is adding the final touches to the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and is going to be filming the third instalment of Shrek.