Dawn Treader Production Prescreens Footage!

Both NarniaFan.com‘s Paul Martin and NarniaWeb.com‘s Tirian were invited to a pre-screening of footage for the Dawn Treader. Both wrote reports on what they saw:

From NarniaWeb.com:

Concept Art

Next, Michael Apted and Mark Johnson were interviewed. He shared that this is a very character-driven film and that it is not going to be a film that has special effects without any real content. He said this movie is about temptation and learning how to overcome it, wrapped in an adventure story. Michael then took us through a 20-minute presentation with concept art and a few still frames to give us the basic outline of the movie. He described the five islands, where we’ll see them, and what will happen on each one. He also pointed out how each island will have a different and unique look to it.

I’m not going to go into a lot of depth here or share a lot of spoilers, but I will tell you that the concept art looks very good. Some of the still shots in particular show the tremendous work of cinematographer Dante Spinotti. There were shots of Goldwater and the sailing Dawn Treader which blew me away. Just the concept art that we were shown of Aslan at the end of the film made my heart catch in my throat.

Apted’s description of the movie’s storyline made a lot of sense. I can now see the storyline complete with changes that they’ve made and the rough outlook seems like it will work really well.

A Super Trailer

Finally, we were treated to about five minutes of the film. The format was that of a trailer, with small 5-20 second scenes one after another. There were some shots that weren’t complete yet and still needed the full CGI treatment. Toward the end of the presentation it began to feel a bit more like a trailer with quick shots and cuts back and forth. I’d say the whole piece together could be described as a super-trailer.

Without giving away too much, I will mention a few things about the footage we saw. There were shots of the transition into Narnia and some shots onboard the Dawn Treader with Eustace (quite funny). We saw some interaction between Lucy and Gael and quite a lot of shots of Lucy in the magician’s house. There were a few finished shots of Reepicheep, several “beauty shots” of the Dawn Treader sailing, and some incredible shots of the entrance to Aslan’s Country from the end of the film. Liam Neeson’s lines have been recorded so we heard Aslan several times throughout the footage.

From NarniaFans.com:

Adapting Narnia

The filmmakers spoke about the difficulty of adapting these books for the big screen, as there are “Narnia Police” everywhere. The main thing to remember is that, in adapting a book, the author of the book can say what people are thinking about all they want. That sort of thing has to be translated to a visual medium. If it weren’t, it’d be no different than watching a film of an actor sitting in a chair, reading the book to you. They were asked if they planned on completing the series, and producer Mark Johnson addressed this, saying that he would be very disappointed if the series was not produced to completion.

Many people have asked why Michael Apted was chosen to direct the film. He’s an unproven director, when it comes to children’s movies. However, he’s got a great eye for realism and character. He knows how to capture relationships between characters very well. One of the things that was mentioned was that, with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the story is really about the relationships between the characters. It is a very personal movie, despite all of the effects and adventures. It’s going to really take you on an adventure along side the characters. There will be many lessons that can be learned from it, and this is a film that should really tug on our heartstrings.

The footage displayed the growth of Georgie Henley as an actress, really owning the role of Lucy, yet again. Will Poulter is pitch-perfect as Eustace Clarence Scrubb and the rest of the cast looks like they’ve hit a home run this time out as well. The Dawn Treader herself? Absolutely breathtaking on screen. The pictures seen thus far do not do the ship justice.

Overall, the event was very encouraging about the state of the Narnia film and the series as a whole. It’s a definitive return to Narnia that is both magical and moving. This is a film that will surprise the world with the quality of the writing, the story and the character development as it brings you along on a journey of redemption and adventure. The theme of temptation runs throughout as each character deals with it in his or her own way, leading to great discussions long after the credits have rolled.

Prior to the screening, Courtney and I gave Douglas Gresham a hug and thanked him for the opportunity to propose on the set and afterward I spoke with Director Michael Apted about the same. A broad smile crossed his face, and I spoke briefly about the film and I thanked him for the vision that he brought to it.

The film is in good hands.

A big thanks to Walden Media, Twentieth Century Fox, and Grace Hill Media for the invitation to the event. It was unlike anything I had experienced before. I’d also like to thank everyone else that was there for making it such a pleasing event to attend.

To all Narnia fans of the world: I, like most of you, was not invited ( ) so I share in both your jealousy and anticipation.