COMMENTARY
My Day in Narnia
On a trip to New Zealand, the author spent a day on the movie set of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He came away impressed with everything he saw.
By Drew Trotter | posted 9/13/2005
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Editor's note: Drew Trotter, a theologian who frequently writes and lectures on film, had the privilege of visiting the movie set of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in New Zealand last December. Trotter shares his observations in this exclusive story for Christianity Today Movies.
I arrive in Christchurch on a Sunday morning, too late for church, and drive on up to Arthur's Pass where filming is in the final stages for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Arthur's Pass, about two hours up into the mountains above Christchurch, is a two-sides-of-the-highway-for-half-a-mile kind of town, and the significance of the town's name doesn't escape me. The myth of King Arthur shares much of the tragedy, glory and truth of C. S. Lewis's Narnia tales. As I run out to a pay phone to call Tom Williams—the assistant to Mark Johnson, the producer who has given me permission to visit the set the next day—another pleasing omen occurs: Though it is almost New Zealand summer, a beautiful, light snow begins to fall, covering everything in a thin blanket of white.
Are the real environs of the movie location affected by the story of fictional Narnia? Does the threat of "always winter, never Christmas" exist here, too? More importantly, will Aslan appear to drive away the winter and bring the spring?
The next morning, I pass through the security gate and drive up the narrow road to the site. After meeting Williams and getting a tour of the base camp, we visit two of the three active sets at this location.
The first is where all the "green screen" filming is done. They use this huge tent mostly to film filler shots; today they are shooting a few fauns and centaurs making merry at the coronation celebration for the Pevensey children, after the Witch is defeated.
The next scene, on the battlefield where another unit is shooting the Witch's army moving into position, is likewise inconsequential. And yet it will, like all such "secondary" scenes, make the movie feel real to the viewer. Throughout the morning, I reflect on the reality of the filmmaking process compared to what we will see on screen. I spend all morning watching scenes that, if they get into the film at all, will last no more than a few seconds of screen time, and will evoke little emotional response in the viewer. In reality, though, hundreds of people work for more than a day in order to get those few seconds of film into the can.
But what I see next is hardly just a "filler" scene. It's a vital one.
On Top of the Mountain
Tom suggests that we hike up to the top of a nearby mountain where they are filming the hand-to-hand combat between Peter, played by newcomer William Moseley, and the White Witch, portrayed by veteran actress Tilda Swinton. In the book, this particular duel is barely mentioned in a paragraph describing Aslan arriving on the scene to save the day. The scene in the movie, however, will be elaborated significantly, as will the entire battle between the Witch's army and Peter's.
We arrive at the set, and several things strike me at once. Nearly 80 people are there, scrambling around among the rocks, with lighting equipment, electric generators, wires and cables of all sorts and props for the film, including swords, armor, and other battle paraphernalia. More surprising is how many people are there simply to help serve lunch, hold clipboards, or serve in some other capacity unrevealed during the afternoon. A large wooden platform built off to the side provides the landing area where the helicopter will bring in lunch for all of us. Earlier in the day, seven helicopters had flown the company to the top of the mountain, but I was glad we had hiked up. Being a little tired out made me feel more a part of the very physical action in the scene.
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