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Production manager Tim Coddington told me how every person on the set plays a key part—from director Andrew Adamson down to the last name when the credits roll.

"Everybody's job on the film set is as important as the next person's," he said. "We've got a director who has a wonderful vision and he can articulate that vision to everybody. It's one of those films where you come on board and you have to share that vision."

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Even Adamson paid close attention to the tiniest of details. Wanting to capture a sense of wonder when Lucy (played by Georgie Henley) first sees Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), Adamson intentionally kept Henley from seeing McAvoy in make-up until it was time to shoot the scene. Henley was led to the Lantern Waste blindfolded, and the cameras rolled as her blindfold was removed to capture her genuine surprise.

For four months, I spent many days on set—from a dusty old hangar in Auckland that became Cair Paravel to a magical forest near Queenstown (appropriately called Paradise) that now created a warming spring in Narnia. When I was not on set, my thoughts were never far from it. Filmmaking is an addiction, stronger than any drug. You want to be with the crew again, you want to be with these people who are living a world of creativity.

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Of all the images I captured, two especially encapsulate this world. As Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy receive their crowns at Cair Paravel, I stood behind the crew and managed to capture not only an artistic performance for the camera but also the reality of the scene—with Adamson and his team concentrating on getting it exactly right.

In another scene at Flock Hill, we awaited Peter to raise his sword in defiance of The White Witch. I turned to look at over 100 people prepared to record that against a stunning backdrop that was Narnia.

After my last day on the set, I drove away with a heavy heart, not wanting the visits to end. I wandered through the freesias, crocuses and snowdrops as they sprouted into life amidst the melting snow. I spent time with the director and crew as they finished the last shot. I returned to reality and realized that this film was not over—it had only just begun. On December 9, when the film opens, everybody will have the opportunity to enter Narnia, just like I did—and this fantasy world will be totally real, because of the passion of the people behind it.

Watching The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe being created has been one of the highlights of my life. Why? It is the people I met, strangers that are now friends that welcomed me into their magical world.

Ian Brodie is not only a Lord of the Rings and Narnia buff, but also a big fan of airplanes and the founder of the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum. The author of eight books on aviation, Brodie also served as a consultant for Microsoft in the development of their Combat Flight Simulator software.

All photos © Ian Brodie 2005, used by permission.

© Ian Brodie 2005, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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