The new Roland Emmerich film Anonymous opens today in the German cinemas. The film was shot in its entirety at Studio Babelsberg in 2010. The studio's in-house Art Department constructed over 80 sets of widely varying sizes in addition to the impressive London Rose and Globe Theatres. Studio Babelsberg was the sole executive production company and responsible, among other things, for the production design, set construction and the overall production services.
Studio Babelsberg was able to draw upon a tried-and-tested pool of specialists from the region. And Roland Emmerich assembled a top team of German filmmakers.
When putting the film crew together, Studio Babelsberg was able to draw upon a tried-and-tested pool of specialists from the region. And Roland Emmerich assembled a top team of German filmmakers, including director of photography Anna J. Foerster, costume designer Lisy Christl, visual effects experts Volker Engel and Marc Weigert, editor Peter R. Adam, composers Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser as well as production designer Sebastian Krawinkel who had already worked in Studio Babelsberg on The Pianist, V for Vendetta, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum and Inglourious Basterds. In preparing for Anonymous, he embarked on an extensive programme of research. "I travelled to London and visited several galleries and museums there and used every opportunity to inform myself about the Elizabethan age and its architecture. We wanted Anonymous to be as authentic as possible", Sebastian Krawinkel says.
Studio Babelsberg's greatest challenge was the reconstruction of the Rose and Globe Theatres. In fact, it was one and the same set in the film for both theatres. The Rose was modified after shooting the respective scenes and then transformed into the Globe. Construction of the theatre on the Studio Babelsberg lot took twelve weeks.
Krawinkel and his team from the Art Department worked closely with their colleagues from the visual effects (VFX) department during the shoot. Anonymous saw Roland Emmerich teaming up once more with his colleagues Volker Engel and Marc Weigert, who were involved on several Emmerich projects in the past, including Independence Day and 2012. The entire visual effects were also realised with a large team on-site in Babelsberg.
Synopsis:
Anonymous shows William Shakespeare as we have never seen him before and poses the provocative question as to whether he really did write all of his works himself. A subject offering plenty of material for controversial discussions. Hit director Roland Emmerich gives a possible answer and concentrates on a time when political intrigues, illicit romances in the Royal Court and the scheming of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were reflected at one of the most unusual of places: the London stage.
Anonymous is a Centropolis/Anonymous Pictures Limited/Vierzehnte Babelsberg Film GmbH production, The leads in the XX gripping and opulent thriller are taken by Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Xavier Samuel and Derek Jacobi. Roland Emmerich, Robert Leger and Larry Franco serve as producers. The screenplay is by John Orloff. John Orloff, Volker Engel and Marc Weigert are executive producers. Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter are co-producers for Studio Babelsberg. Anna J. Foerster is Director of Photography.
Anonymous was funded by the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the German Federal Film Board (FFA) and FFF Bayern. The German distributor is Sony Pictures Releasing.
