Three-time Caldecott Medal winner David Wiesner illustrates Narnia! Over the years, only the finest and most prestigious award-winning artists have lent their talents to The Chronicles of Narnia. Available in July, spectacular new jacket art by three-time Caldecott Medal winner David Wiesner showcases C.S. Lewis’s beloved classics and continues an extraordinary tradition of excellence in Narnia illustration.

David Wiesner writes:

Creating covers for The Chronicles of Narnia, one of the classics of children’s literature, was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. There is such a wealth of wonderful imagery to choose from, it seemed as though the hard part would be choosing from too many choices. The reality was much more challenging and complex than I imagined.

I started with ideas for several of the jackets. There was no overriding concept to them, just interesting images. The image for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the first one that I conceived and the reaction from everyone involved with the project was instantly positive. This image set the path for all the others. We decided to maintain a more intimate approach, focusing on the “good” characters—not the villains, attempting to find an emotional pull to the covers. This turned out to be much easier with some jackets than others.

Read the rest at: HarperCollins

Thanks to Tarva2Alambil for the update!

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NarniaWeb’s moderators had the opportunity this weekend to put questions to co-producer Douglas Gresham, who is the step-son of Narnia creator C.S. Lewis.

How is the filming going? In fact, where are you right now?

Douglas Gresham: I am in Prague at the set of Prince Caspian. I am here to catch up with some of my favourite people who are the cast and crew, and with the footage that has been filmed since I was with the team in New Zealand – and of course to look at one of the most fabulous sets ever built, Miraz’s Castle, which is what we are filming right now. I can tell you that the footage we have so far looks spectacularly good, even richer and somehow stronger than LWW. Also the increased maturity of the children and their acting skills is remarkable. This is going to be one seriously great movie.

So how do you like the casting choices for Caspian and the other new characters?

Douglas Gresham: As Co-Producer one of my tasks is to be a part of the team that makes the casting decisions, so naturally I am happy with our choices. This film was not as easy to cast as LWW, but the cast we have found are superb.

What is the rationale behind putting a minotaur (Asterius), a creature associated with evil in LWW, as someone on Caspian’s side?

Douglas Gresham: There are several reasons for that. Firstly, we felt that we needed to show that in Narnia as here, old foes can be forgiven and can reconcile and work together, given the will to do so. Secondly, that in Narnia as also it is here, a common adversary will bring even the worst of enemies together and unite them. Also, that the shapes and colours of a species’ body do not necessarily denote their character, that just because someone is a Minotaur does not have to mean that they are all bad. Finally, we kind of like Minotaurs.

Have any secondary characters from the book been reduced or eliminated in PC in the way that Rumblebuffin and the “Us Lions” lion were in LWW? (eg Wimbleweather, the Bulgy Bear, Bacchus, Caspian’s Nurse).

Douglas Gresham: Now you’re fishing with too fine a net, I am not about to reveal too much nor to give too much away. That is the sort of question that you will have to watch to the movie to find out the answer to.

Read the rest at Narniaweb at the source link above.

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A Narnia fan was in Prague when she stumbled upon a set that was to be used for the filming of Prince Caspian. The set is a train station, made up with posters reminiscent of those on the walls in the Train Station in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They’re very cool pictures that you can take a look at on her flickr account.

It’s definitely a very exciting time to be a Narnia fan! To see the pictures, go here: Last Girl Guide’s Prague Narnia Set Pictures

Thanks to Trevor for the update!

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Slovenia’s 24ur has posted a video about Prince Caspian in Slovenia.

A Fairy Tale in Bovec

This year’s largest Disney film project, Prince Caspian (to be premiered May 2008), means the biggest publicity ever for Bovec. Millions of filmgoers will see the region’s Soca river and a fairytale bridge.

The busiest time of filming will be during June and July, when there will be at least 1000 people in Bovec.

Local: “This is actually very interesting, you know. As a matter of fact, it’s like we’re moving back in time to the 80s when there was a similar situation, with 2000 to 3000 guests staying in the wintertime. We’ve almost forgotten what it was like, and now we’ll be able to experience it again.”

Many hoteliers are already calculating the profit they will be able to make through letting rooms – which will probably be filled to capacity.

The first crew members are coming to Bovec in May 2007.

Iztok Kenda will be able to watch the filming from the window of his own restaurant.

Kenda: “They’ve moved the locations even closer to us, so I’ll be only about 200 metres away from the main activity. We’ve made an agreement that all the actors and actresses can have meals here, but they’ve arranged accommodation somewhere else.”

The greatest attraction will probably be the wooden bridge, which will be made by the Primorje factory in Ajdovscina. It will be 60 metres long and 7 metres wide.

Builder: “This is the sort of bridge that was in fact designed by Caesar, which means that this will be an example of a truly old bridge, made from pine wood. It’s rather unusual in this day and age, and very different from other sorts of bridges. It’s proof that builders from the past were masters of their craft.”

Reporter: “Here is where the bridge will stand near the end of the film. The cavalry will cross the bridge, which will collapse. Then the soldiers are taken to another land.”

Some people in Bovec are already thinking about saving the props and the collapsed bridge after filming is completed, so that they can be moved to a new location and made into a tourist attraction like those seen in other countries.

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David J. Theroux, the Founder and President of the C. S. Lewis Society of California has e-mailed us with updates on many upcoming events that you’re all invited to attend! I hope that some of you have the chance to visit these events and join Lewis Societies, or even have the opportunity to start one in your own area if one does not exist. Here’s the update:

1. Personal Responsibility and the Virginia Tech Shootings:

With the recent tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University and the psycho-therapeutic response we are beginning to see, C.S. Lewis had a great deal to say about personal responsibility, good and evil, and criminal justice. In this regard, you may find the following article by Lewis of special interest:

“The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment,” by C.S. Lewis (from his book, GOD IN THE DOCK, edited by Walter Hooper):
http://kzoo.edu/~petersen/teaching/lewis.html

2. Next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club:

Book for Discussion:

THE DISCARDED IMAGE: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature
By C.S. Lewis

“Wise, illuminating, companionable, it may well come to be seen as Lewis’s best book.”
–THE OBSERVER

“Erudite and graceful, filled with anecdote and analogy, illuminating the images of the past.”
–LOS ANGELES TIMES

“His wonderful gusto, the clarity of his style, the wit of his comments and analogies, the range of his learning and the liveliness of his mind are displayed to the full, warmed by a prevailing good humor.”
–THE LISTENER

Meeting moderator/leader: Eric Rauscher

Wednesday, May 2nd, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 16th, 7:30 p.m.

These May meetings will focus on C. S. Lewis’s deeply enriching book, THE DISCARDED IMAGE, which paints a lucid picture of the medieval, Christian world view, as historical and cultural background to the literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The book describes the “image” as “the medieval synthesis itself, the whole organization of their theology, science and history into a single, complex, harmonious mental model of the universe,” which contrasts directly with “modernist” and “post-modernist” views. This, Lewis’s last book, has been hailed as “the final memorial to the work of a great scholar and teacher and a wise and noble mind.” The book debunks many myths including the view that the medievals thought that the earth was flat, that they thought that the universe was small, and that in their placing the earth at the center, man existed not at a position of privilege but at the margins of the universe. As Lewis notes:

“Because, as Dante was to say more clearly than anyone else, the spatial order is the opposite of the spiritual, and the material cosmos mirrors, hence reverses, the reality, so that what is truly the rim seems to us the hub… We watch ‘the spectacle of the celestial dance’ from its outskirts. Our highest privilege is to imitate it in such measure as we can. The medieval Model is, if we may use the word, anthropo-peripheral. We are creatures of the Margin.”

Here is a preview of the book, including the Contents and sample chapters:
Google Books Preview of The Discarded Image

The meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served

Here also are articles that discuss THE DISCARDED IMAGE:

“THE DISCARDED IMAGE,” by Jim Slagle:
Oregon Live – Discarded Image

“THE DISCARDED IMAGE”
Discarded Image

“THE DISCARDED IMAGE: A Book Study” by Stanley Anderson
DrZeus.net

THE DISCARDED IMAGE is available in paperback (Cambridge University Press):
Amazon.com

Here also is the schedule of future book club meetings:
Lewis Society Book Club Meetings

Here also is information on C.S. Lewis:
Lewis Society:About C.S. Lewis

We hope that you and others you know will be joining with us!

3. Other Upcoming Events:
Lewis Society: Other Upcoming Events

Southeast Regional C.S. Lewis Conference: “Faith Set Free: C.S. Lewis and the Quest for Joy”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
Brentwood Academy, Brentwood, TN
May 5, 2007
cslewis.org

“Evangelicals and Roman Catholics: Christian Unity via C.S. Lewis?”
Sponsored by the C. S. Lewis Society of Frederick (MD)
C. Burr Artz Public Library, Frederick, MD
May 21, 2007
Frederick C.S. Lewis Society

Dorothy L. Sayers Society Annual Convention
Sponsored by the Marion E. Wade Center
Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
June 13-17, 2007
Weaton.edu

The 26th Annual Chesterton Conference: “The Man Who Was Today”
Sponsored by the American Chesterton Society
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
June 14-16, 2007
Chesterton.org

C.S. Lewis Summer Conference: “Finding the Way: C.S. Lewis as Pilgrim Guide in an Age of Pluralism”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
San Diego, CA
June 28-July 1, 2007
CSLewis.org

The 38th Annual Mythopoeic Conference (Mythcon XXXVIII), “Becoming Adept: The Journey to Mastery”
Sponsored by the Mythopoeic Society
University of California, Berkeley, CA
August 3-6, 2007
MythSoc.org

“The Crisis of the University: Freedom, Tolerance and the Pursuit of Truth”
Sponsored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
October 5-6, 2007
CSLewis.org

“C.S. Lewis: Man and His Work: A 21st Century Legacy”
Sponsored by L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern College at Wake Forest, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007
sebts.edu/CSLewis

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A LOOK INTO THE CREATURES OF NARNIA
BY HOWARD BERGER
Makeup Effects and Creature Designer

Once in a lifetime, something so amazing happens and you are so grateful for it. But, to have it happen twice in a lifetime is unheard of. I am talking about the privilege of another journey into Narnia that the creative team at KNB EFX Group, Inc. gets to take for PRINCE CASPIAN.

The first film was a challenge, as we had never tackled a project so huge in scope and with so many creatures playing at once. It was important to bring all the Narnians to life and make it completely believable that they could believably live in this magical land. And here we are again, ready to meet up with the new Narnians that inhabit the land 1,500 years later.

The first step took partner Greg Nicotero and I back to the drawing board, as we wanted to mix things up a bit. We wanted to take another pass at what the Narnians would be like if they had become more wild in their appearance, seeing how they have been living in hiding within the forests all these centuries. What if they were all different age groups, sizes and races? We felt that the Narnians in the first film were all in their thirties, so we designed some study sculptures to demonstrate our concepts and approached director Andrew Adamson with the ideas. He liked our take and felt this could give Narnia an even more real existence.

In PRINCE CASPIAN, we have heavy set fauns, old age fauns, female dwarves, centaurs and their families. The minotaurs are now on the side of good. A new hag, a werewolf and the satyrs are back, but all newly redesigned to be more animal-like than the prior movie.

I think in every film there is one character you fall in love with. The first movie had Mr. Tumnus, played by the great James McAvoy. This time it is Peter Dinklage who plays Trumpkin the Dwarf. The character is so wonderfully written, and once you see Peter as Trumpkin, he becomes alive and real. We gave Trumpkin his look, but Peter gave him his heart, and the collaboration brings to life a new and interesting addition to this rich world.

A lot of the same crew from the first film have joined us, including my co-winner for the Best Makeup Oscar last year, Tami Lane (with key support from our third team member, Sarah Rubano). We are all excited and thrilled as there is an evolution that has occurred in Narnia and we are all privileged to be here to experience another wonderful adventure.

Read the rest at Narnia.com

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The most prestigious prize for children’s books is to hold an online poll to find readers’ all-time favourite.

The Carnegie medal, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, has produced a shortlist of the top 10 winners in its history and is asking readers to vote for the best at www.ckg.org.uk.

The award is organised in conjunction with librarians’ institute CILIP.

The shortlist’s best-known books include Philip Pullman’s modern classic “Northern Lights” (1995) and Melvin Burgess’s “Junk” (1996).

Older favourites include “The Borrowers” (1952) by Mary Norton, and Philippa Pearce’s “Tom’s Midnight Garden” (1958).

But judges from CILIP ruled out works from heavyweight contenders CS Lewis and Arthur Ransome, who have won the award in the past but not for their most famous books.

CS Lewis, who is enjoying renewed popularity with the release of the film adaptation of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, won in 1956 for the lesser known “The Last Battle,” the concluding volume in his “Chronicles of Narnia.”

The results of the poll will be announced alongside the 2007 winner of the Carnegie medal at the British Library on June 21.

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Olivier Soares, Technical Director of Framestore CFC, will present some techniques implemented at Framestore-CFC to groom, simulate and render fur & hair efficiently. Olivier’s talk will also introduce the new fur system to be used on “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

Hair and Fur Rendering
Olivier Soares, Technical Director, Framestore CFC, www.framestore-cfc.com

Olivier will present some techniques implemented at Framestore-CFC to groom, simulate and render fur & hair efficiently. These techniques have recently been used on “Underdog” (3 full CG realistic dogs) and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (CG centaurs). Olivier’s talk will also introduce the new fur system to be used on “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

Olivier Soares has been working in the CG industry for 5 years. At Framestore Olivier has worked on the fur system used on “Underdog” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix“. He is now working on “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian“.

Wednesday
May 02, 2007
17:00 – 18:00
Raum Karlsruhe
fmx/conference | fmx/technologies

New Techniques for High-Resolution Face Scanning and Rendering
Paul E. Debevec, Executive Producer/ Graphics Research, University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies, www.debevec.org

Reflectance of light from a human face is an odd mix of specularity, self-shadowing, mutual illumination, anisotropy, and spatially-varying subsurface scattering. Techniques for measuring these properties and simulating their effects are converging to produce powerful new techniques for creating photoreal digital versions of real people. This talk will present new techniques for measuring sub-millimeter surface detail based on novel lighting patterns and rapid acquisition of subsurface scattering behavior for both offline and real-time rendering applications.

Paul Debevec is a research associate professor and the executive producer of graphics research at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (USC ICT). His 1996 PhD presented an image-based modeling and rendering system for creating virtual cinematography of architectural scenes from photographs, techniques later used to create the Academy-Award winning virtual backgrounds in the “The Matrix“. Debevec pioneered Image-Based Lighting techniques seen in films such as the X-Men series, the Matrix sequels, and The Chronicles of Narnia. His recent Light Stage systems allow actors and performances to be synthetically illuminated in postproduction, used to create realistic digital actors in the films Superman Returns, King Kong, and Spider Man 2 & 3. Debevec received ACM SIGGRAPH’s first Significant New Researcher Award and co-authored the recent book “High Dynamic Range Imaging”.

Wednesday
May 02, 2007
14:00 – 15:00
Meidinger Saal
fmx/conference | fmx/talks

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The winner of Narnia.com’s Ultimate Narnia Fan contest has posted on the forums that she will be leaving for the set very soon. She writes:

Hi everybody. It looks like I’ll be headed to Prague the week of May 7. Thanks for all the great questions and suggestions. I’m sorting and grouping them, so hopefully I’ll be able to find a great question, no matter who I end up talking to (everything is “subject to availability of cast and crew”). I’ll let you know when I get back, but be warned up front – I won’t be able to talk about the set visit at all (who I talked to, what I saw, etc.) until after the production blog posts on Narnia.com. That’s just part of the rules for the contest winner.

Once again, Congratulations QueenHelen! You’re living a dream of mine!

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Associate Producer David Minkowski was interviewed by the Czech Film Commission on the Prince Caspian shoot taking place in Prague. ” It is a big load and, at the same time, a challenge. In a relatively small town like Prague it’s really very hard to find enough good people and equipment for two Hollywood films at the same time,” says David Minkowski, head of the film department at Stillking Films.

HN: In April you will begin filming in the Czech Republic The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. How is work proceeding on the film?

It’s all going very well. Right now it’s shooting in New Zealand, then in a couple days the staff will relocate to the Czech Republic, where they will film until August. Right now there are 300 to 400 people working in Prague on pre-production. At Barrandov and at the studios at Modřany we have a total of seven sets, plus they’re building a giant set on the backlot at Barrandov.

HN: What will the time-table of shooting look like?

First we start at Modřany, then we transfer to Barrandov and then a week in Poland. After that we return to Prague and to Ústí nad Labem and around there. Actually we will have in the Czech Republic two crews – one will film 11 weeks in Ústí and a second in Prague. The first crew will then move to the mountains in Slovenia. The filming there will be very demanding in terms of travel and logistics

HN: Unlike the first Narnia film the majority of the scenes of the new film will be shot in Prague. How did you convince the film’s producers, Walt Disney and Walden Media, to do it this way?

Prague has good infrastructure and conditions – big studios, offices, film crews and equipment, everything you need. What’s more it’s a good base if you need to film in other locations in Europe, like in Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia or Poland. So if you need to travel every week to a different location, Prague is a natural centre for filming.

HN: But the first Narnia shot only a few scenes here …

That’s because of the weather. We need summer and in New Zealand it’s just ending and we can’t shoot there in winter.

HN: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe cost about USD 180 million to make. A sequel to a commercially successful film is usually more expensive than the original. Is that the case with Prince Caspian?

It’s case by case. In 2004 we shot Alien vs. Predator, and that was the least expensive of the Alien films. As for The Chronicles of Narnia, I think it could be true. Prince Caspian is definitely a big film.

HN: How much of the total budget for Prince Caspian are Disney and Walden Media investing in the Czech Republic?

I suppose that the net investment will be around USD 30 million to USD 40 million. That includes the construction of the big sets, renting the studios, filming in Ústí nad Labem, contracting hundreds of crew members and so on. I’d say that it’s the biggest film ever shot here. The total amount that Prince Caspian is bringing to the Czech Republic will be even bigger – that investment, which will flow into the Czech economy, will have further economic effects, for example in paying for housing services, feeding crew members, etc.

HN: How many Czech filmmakers are employed on this film?

The majority of the crew will be made up of Czechs. If we don’t count the workers who are building the sets, there will be on the sets in film crews about 900 people. That’s a lot.

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