Q: When the list of eligible songs for the “Best Original Song” Academy Award was released, “The Call” was there but “This is Home” and the others weren’t. Can you explain this?

-Skulblaka_Shur’tugal

Paul: Good question.  I’m not sure the rules on this, and even the official site for the Oscars doesn’t have the rules for eligibility posted in this category.  There must have been a reason, but I just can’t find it.  Can anyone else?

Q: I want to say something about the most recent mailbag; Skulbaka had a question about Fox’s handling of Narnia, and mentioned that Eragon was a poor film compared to the book. While I haven’t read Eragon and haven’t seen the film, so I don’t know anything about it, I do know that Fox has handled STar Wars quite well (which I believe you mentioned). HOWEVER, Fox will not be responsible for what’s in the script, am I right? Michael Apted and the screenwriter(s) are responsible for what goes into the script; the studios (Walden and Fox) will handle the distribution, marketing and publicity.

I also wanted to ask a question: since Disney has bailed on the films, do you think there will be better publicity for Voyage of the Dawn treader, like there was for Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

-Aravis Kenobi

Paul: Good additional points about the Dawn Treader script, and you are correct about that.  I think that there’s a good chance for better publicity than Prince Caspian had.  20th Century Fox wants to make this a franchise and they don’t want to do one Narnia only to see it fail.  Expect to see a lot in the way of publicity, this time around.

Q: Am I the only one who noticed the Narnia flag (rampant lion) on the opening shot of the Disney castle in the movie theater version of Prince Caspian? I was rather disappointed when it didn’t make the DVD.

Kelley

Paul: Now that you mention it, I sort of remember seeing it.  Anyone have verification on this?  I’m not sure I can find it.  It is interesting if it really isn’t on the DVD.  If I wasn’t watching the Ocean’s trilogy at the moment, I’d check the Blu-ray.

Q: Any idea on when we’ll hear casting announcements?
Do you think/know if TCF/Walden will market VDT to faith groups?

Mike

Paul: Casting announcements, if filming indeed starts in late July, some time this month.  Keep your eyes on NarniaFans.com for these!  I think that that Walden will market VDT to faith groups again, and hopefully with as much stress as they did LWW.  The biggest problem is that the rest of the Narnia films don’t have as public a symbolic reference to Christ.  Nor the name recognition.  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe could have been released under that name alone.  Calling it The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was pure marketing so that when future films in the series were released, people could see the name Narnia and remember the last film on the weight of that name alone.

And that’s it for this week’s mailbag. Keep sending us e-mails, and we’ll keep answering.  If you have any answers, feel free to comment below, or send us an e-mail and we’ll post it in future mailbags.

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• NarniaFans Mailbag #30: Is Michael Apted qualified? Dawn Treader Promo Material? Caspian missing scenes?
• Aslan’s Country interviews concept artist John Dickenson
• NarniaFans Mailbag #36: The Fourth Narnia, Narnia Exhibition, Ben Barnes and Fox
• NarniaFans Mailbag #32: More Dawn Treader Art, and old letters surface
• NarniaFans Mailbag #31: Screenwriters on the Dawn Treader, Will Poulter, Special Effects and Casting

They then showed an impressive production reel for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which will open on May 16, 2008, including concept art for the sequel’s new characters and soundbites from director Andrew Adamson and make-up FX supervisor Howard Berger, talking about the differences with the sequel and how they’ll get a chance to show how the different creatures fight, and there was accompanying battle pre-vis to demonstrate what they meant.

Anyone have pictures? Send an e-mail our way!

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Disney to bring Prince Caspian to South Africa’s M-Net
• Mother of Three Calls Disney “crazy”
• Waiting for the “Dawn”
• Disney Launches New Narnia-related Educational Tools
• Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray Disc this December?

The essay is titled, “Previews and Coming Distractions; or, The Art of Marketing and the Marketing of Art.” Here’s a snippet…

Just yesterday, I ran across a “Noview Review” of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. “This is a review of a movie that I haven’t seen,” says writer Fred Stesney, “because they haven’t even released it yet. Really, with all the advance publicity that they do these days, do you really have to see a movie to know if it’s any good? I say, no.”

I had to laugh, and even agree with his point of view somewhat. I must admit that, in the past, I have once or twice “prewritten” movie reviews based on advance publicity and then almost literally “filled in the blanks” with details from the actual screening.

Stesney’s own quasi-informed assessment of the upcoming Narnia film? “The awesome spectacle runs roughshod over any objections to hammy acting, the liberal use of movie clichés, and a lack of suspense as to the outcome. ” As to the meaning of the film, Stesney remarks, “If Jesus isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Lewis created the series to be a light-handed way of getting the message to kids, and Disney, needing audiences in blue states, goes easy on the salvation. Non-believers will still get an exciting story where good and evil meet on the battlefield to hack each other to pieces.”

Stesney’s secular cynicism is not unique. At the Past Watchful Dragons conference at Belmont University in Nashville last week, I presented a Christian-oriented paper in which I mused that “Disney’s massive and unprecedented publicity campaign for this film almost guarantees that the world of Narnia will surprise few of us, though delight us it may.”

[Read the rest at Hollywood Jesus]

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Marketing of ‘Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ Presents Challenge
• NarniaFans Mailbag #43: Dragons Prow really Dawn Treader? Horse and His Boy contradiction?
• Interview with Narnia Storyboard Artist Mike Vosburg
• NarniaFans Mailbag #42: Harry Gregson Williams’ Complete Narnia Scores, and Harry Potter 6
• Interview with Narnia Storyboard Artist Tom Nelson

But Disney’s tricky marketing strategy for “Narnia” – which includes aggressively courting Christian fans who can relate to the story’s biblical allegory while trying not to disaffect secular fans – is particularly tricky when it comes to music.

The spiritual character of “Narnia” is being reinforced with the debut on the charts last week of a Christian pop album of music inspired by the film. But prospects for a previously announced secular soundtrack now seem cloudy, executives involved in the process say. Disney executives say that at the very least the CD will be delayed beyond its planned Oct. 25 release.

Mitchell Leib, president of music for Disney’s Buena Vista film unit, said he still expected to assemble and release a secular soundtrack before the film’s Dec. 9 opening. But he cited production snags. He said he was still awaiting a recording by the rock band Evanescence that is intended as the film’s closing song. He added that planning had also been complicated by last-minute decisions about how music will be used in the complex, special-effects-laden film.

The Christian-oriented album’s status as the only “Narnia” musical project in the marketplace, for now at least, could upset the studio’s plan to balance two audiences. “If they go ahead and release only the one soundtrack, I think they’re risking being identified as turning toward a blatantly religious company, which does turn some people away,” said Chris Ahrens, founding editor of Risen, a San Diego-based lifestyle magazine that explores the spiritual beliefs of entertainment figures. On the other hand, Mr. Ahrens said, if the music strikes a chord in the Christian market, “I think that’s huge for Disney in terms of the movie audience.” He added, “It seems like a huge gamble.” …

…And the album already appears to be crossing into territory where the genre is rarely marketed, said Bill Hearn, the president and chief executive of EMI’s Christian Music Group. EMI has been promoting “Narnia” songs to mainstream radio, and Mr. Hearn said 16 stations playing “adult contemporary” music have added Mr. Chapman’s song “Remembering You” to their playlists. The music video for the song is also expected to be included on the film’s DVD, he said.

“We believe these songs are appealing to anyone who loves ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ not just to the Christian audience,” Mr. Hearn said. “The songs are written specifically to reach a wide audience.”

For the rest, visit the New York Times

0 people like this post.

Like 

Related Posts

• Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Inspired Soundtrack Review
• HearItFirst.com Narnia Inspired Soundtrack Preview
• Christian Soundtrack Artist Line-up
• Harry Gregson-Williams reflects on his career as a composer
• ‘Narnia’ Composer Harry Gregson-Williams Honored for Outstanding Career Achievement