The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian promises to be an even bigger visual spectacle than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was — if that’s possible. However, in spite of the top-notch CG work done on LWW by companies like ILM, Rhythm + Hues, and Sony Imageworks, the producers of Caspian are apparently hiring different companies for the sequel, notably two British effects houses. Industry sources tell IGN Filmforce that Moving Picture Company and Framestore, both based in London, will be responsible for the bulk of the film’s digital effects.

The information, if accurate, could hint at where director and producer Andrew Adamson’s has chosen to shoot his film. While LWW was made in New Zealand, locales for the second Narnia adventure have been up in the air, with New Zealand and Ireland rumoredly competing for the honor. London is a lot closer to Ireland than New Zealand, and keeping your effects teams close to your production crew doesn’t hurt. Nevertheless, New Zealand can’t be counted out quite yet.

The producers could also be moving effects work to England to take advantage of tax breaks instituted earlier this year. The British government has been trying to make the country competitive again, wooing back a once-vibrant filmmaking industry that has lately fled to less expensive nations like the Czech Republic.

Neither of these two London companies is new to fantasy film effects. Moving Picture has contributed its expertise to all four Harry Potter films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and X-Men III. Framestore’s oeuvre also includes the latest Harry Potter and X-Men motion pictures.

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Our sixth episode of NarniaFansCast for Sunday August 27, 2006. Please send any comments, questions, or concerns to (NFC AT narniafans dot com).

If you are interested in transcribing or editing our shows, send an email to NFC AT narniafans dot com with your name, age and why you would like to be on our staff. If you are applying to be an editor, please also include a sample of your work.

This includes a wrap-up of the news, Andy and Roger are joined by David Sutton of NarniaNews.com for the News Discussion. The third episode of the six-part weekly serial “Heart of Ice”. And of course our movie and book discussion.

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Film companies, including one seeking a home for a talking lion, have been scoping potential locations in Rotorua.

The Daily Post understands scouts for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the sequel to last year’s hit The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have recently been in the area, as have producers of at least two other movies.

Although he couldn’t confirm the involvement of the Narnia producers, Volcanic Locations manager Kevin Rowell said he had recently helped several location scouts identify possible shooting sites for upcoming movies.

“Since we had the guys from Shortland Street [filming episodes] here [in May], things have really gotten busy for us. We have been fielding all sorts of inquiries and requests.”

Film producers had been flown around the lakes and although nothing had been confirmed, it was obvious they liked what they saw, he said.

One film was set in America’s modern day Midwest and finding homes near Rotorua’s lakes that resembled the look and style of houses in the United States was difficult.

Other possible filming sites were easier to find.

“One [movie] called for a hospital scene. At Tokoroa Hospital there has been a whole ward built in the 1980s that has never been used. The Waikato Hospital Board have been brilliant in letting us use that as a possible location and QE Health were also really accommodating in letting us check their facilities out,” Mr Rowell said.

Destination Lake Taupo general manager Scott Lee said he had also recently met film producers.

While he did not want to name any names, he hinted at least one was a big budget production.

Meanwhile, Prehistoric Park, a £6.5 million (NZ$19.3 million) British series partially filmed in Rotorua in which an adventurer travels to prehistoric times will screen on TV3 in September.

The Rotorua episode is set in China 125 million years ago – when that area bore a striking similarity to our region today.

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Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 45 books including the excellent Handbook of Christian Apologetics which is WELL worth the read. It is just incredible. He’s got audio available, on C.S. Lewis’ works, available at the following link.

[Listen to Peter Kreeft here]

13. Lost in the Cosmos — Contrasts two classics, Walker Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos and C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man, on the topics of Natural Law, humor and irony, direct and indirect communication, the nature of self, knowing vs. knowing about, and others

14. Mere Christianity — Next to the Bible, C.S. Lewis’s masterpiece receives Dr. Kreeft’s highest recommendation

15. The Problem of Pain — A commentary on C.S. Lewis’s brilliant exposition on the problems of suffering and evil

16. Till We Have Faces — A commentary on C.S. Lewis’s solution to evil, worked out in fiction. Also deals with the fascinating question “Why does God wear disguises?”

17. A Grief Observed — C.S. Lewis’s personal and honest account of the loss of his wife, and how God deepened his love

20. Time and Eternity — C.S. Lewis’ insights on these intriguing topics

21. The Cosmic Dance — C.S. Lewis’ joyful cosmology of femininity and masculinity

22. The Imagination — C.S. Lewis and the power of creative images

27. The Good, True and Beautiful — C.S. Lewis on the three great transcendentals

And be sure to check out the Video Lecture for What Christians Believe — A review of Part II of “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis, which is the first book Kreeft recommends after the Bible. And also the Audio Lecture for an online streaming interview with Kreeft (and other speakers) regarding C.S. Lewis and the Screwtape Letters.

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We’ve just posted the fourth edition of the NarniaFans Mailbag. We’ve answered seven letters this week, including such topics as cast letters, William Moseley’s non-disclosure on whether he has a girlfriend, and more!

Click here for the fourth NarniaFans Mailbag!

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The nominees to the 2006 World Soundtrack Awards, to be handed out during the Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium, on October 14, were revealed today. Dario Marianelli, Alberto Iglesias, James Newton Howard and Gustavo Santaolalla all received two nominations each.

”Best Original Song Written for Film”
- “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” from Brokeback Mountain (Gustavo Santaolalla/ Bernie Taupin)
- “Can’t Take It In” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Harry Gregson-Williams/Imogen Heap)
- “Magic Works” from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Jarvis Cocker)
- “Mdlwembe” from Tsotsi (Kabelo ‘Kaybee’ Ikaneng/Zola)
- “Our Town” from Cars (Randy Newman)

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Our fifth episode of NarniaFansCast for Sunday August 20, 2006. Please send any comments, questions, or concerns to NFC@narniafans.com.

~If you are interested in transcribing or editing our shows, send an email to NFC@narniafans.com with your name, age and why you would like to be on staff. If you are applying to be an editor, please also include a sample of your work.

~A wrap-up of the news

~Andy and Roger are joined by Roger’s son Kelson for the News Discussion~

~Our thoughts on a unique casting call for Prince Caspian

~The second episode of the six-part weekly serial Heart of Ice

~The Movie and Book Discussion delves into the question “Always winter, never Christmas?”

~A surprise topic

[Get it with iTunes]
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The first finalist has been announced in The Chronicles of Narnia Ultimate Fan Contest. Check out the link below to view August’s Queen of Narnia!

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/fanclub/fanclub_winners.html

Five months left. Five more finalists. Enter now for your chance to win a trip to the Prince Caspian set and cover the day’s events for the production blog.

Contest details:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/fanclub/

Do you find yourself checking wardrobes for portals into magical lands? Do you engage in arguments over who is the more cunning warrior – the centaur or the minotaur?

In short, are you the ultimate Narnia fan?

If so, enter “The Chronicles of Narnia Ultimate Fan Contest” for your chance to win a trip to the set of the next epic Narnia adventure – The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This once in a lifetime experience will be chronicled for the world to see — your interviews of cast & crew will appear as a video blog entry on the official site.

Each month a finalist will be selected and featured on the site as the “King or Queen of Narnia.”

Six finalists will be selected.

The winner will be determined by you, the Narnia fans.

How to participate:

To enter tell us or show us why you are the number one Narnia fan by submitting one of the following

(1) a video recording (or)

(2) a written testimonial along with either (a) a photo of yourself or other items that displays your interest in Narnia or (b) an original illustration of Narnia-related artwork.

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We’ve just posted the third edition of the NarniaFans Mailbag. We’ve answered nine letters this week, including such topics as the lyrics, casting, the Extended score, how they may film The Last Battle, and more!

Click here for the third NarniaFans Mailbag!

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(Ireland or New Zealand) – Title: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. CAST, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Liam Neeson; EXEC PROD, Cary Granat; PROD, Mark Johnson, Andrew Adamson, Philip Steuer, Perry Moore; DIR, Andrew Adamson; SCR, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely. Shoot Dates: Fall, 2006 (in Ireland or New Zealand). STORY: The film is about Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund, the Pevensie siblings are pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years have passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating King Miraz, an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land.

Breakdown– Male Actors: Must be under 4’6″. Any ethnicity. (Posted: July 25, 2006)

Shooting will actually take place in January of 2007, the listing was Revised: August 14, 2006. I’m not sure if it effects this listing, though. That remains to be seen.

There is a small fee to subscribe to MyEntertainmentWorld for one month, but it can give you greater access. Doing so, you can learn where to send your pictures and resume. Good luck!

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