Well, Friday was the day: the opening of the movie of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I read and re-read these books as a kid (my other obsessive favourite series was Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising – anyone else love those?) The supposed creepy Christian cant completely passed me by back then, it was just basic Good against Evil.

Anyway, moving swiftly on, if you’re looking for a topical Xmas pressie for your little Peter Jackson-in-the-making, you could do worse than Cameras in Narnia, subtitled How The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came to life by Ian Brodie (HarperCollins, $24.99). He’s the guy who did the Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook (250,000 sold to date) and it’s totally kosher – there’s even a foreword by Director Andrew Adamson, who first read the books as an eight-year-old growing up right here in Auckland. Aw … love that full-circle stuff.

There are hundreds of engrossing behind-the-scenes photos, and explanations of everything from creating the sets, make-up, prosthetics and wardrobes (clothes, that is) to how they worked with the many animals, how the natural environment was utilised and enhanced (jeez, all that fake snow), and all the computer and sound effects.

I hate ‘making ofs’ as a rule, they take away the magic, but I have to say, this is really riveting stuff. You’d be able to go through it with an eight year old, but a tweenie with a vocation would find it fascinating.

If you’ve seen the movie, so you can remind yourself of the fantastic effects, and also annoy everyone else who’s seen it by telling them how they made the White Witch’s dress: a special kind of material was created from raw silk and raw merino wool which was coloured and felted, then stitched and partly burned out to create what the costume designers called ‘witch lace’.

And of course how they did Mr Tumnus’ feet. (Can’t say, security reasons.)