German Newsletter
ARRI Film & TV Newsletter 07/2011

Esteemed clients, dear friends of ARRI,

Enclosed, please find the most recent edition of the ARRI Film & TV newsletter, this time on the occasion of  the theatrical release of Conviction, a moving drama based on a true story in which two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank plays the titel role under the direction of Tony Goldwyn and Powder Girl, a cool, cheeky all the while romantic feel-good movie for adolescents, directed by Phil Traill and shot in Bavaria.

Enjoy the read!

All the best,

Angela Reedwisch and Walter Brus

Opening in German theaters on March 17, 2011: CONVICTION (aka BETTY ANNE WATERS)

Director: Tony Goldwyn Screenplay: Pamela Gray DoP: Adriano Goldman Editor: Jay Cassidy Production Company: Innocence Entertainment German Distributor: Tobis Film   Inhouse Producer: Chris Berg DI Grading: Traudl Nicholson   ARRI Services: Lab, Digital Intermediate, Sound

Generally, American films don't travel to Germany for postproduction. But Conviction, the most recent film from director Tony Goldwyn, grandson of the legendary MGM co-founder Samuel Goldwyn, did and is proof that an intercontinental collaboration of this sort can be successful as well as sensible. Pamela Gray, who previously collaborated with Goldwyn on Walk On The Moon, wrote the screenplay. The director entrusted the Brazilian DoP Adriano Goldman (Sin Nombre, City of Men) with the cinematography. The drama was produced by Innocence Entertainment and will be distributed in Germany by Tobis Film.

To tell this story about the unconditional love of siblings and of Betty Anne Waters' odyssey through the inscrutable depths of the American legal system, Tony Goldwyn assembled an impressive cast led by the Million Dollar Baby star Hilary Swank (Betty Anne Waters) and Sam Rockwell (Kenny Waters), and supported by high-caliber actresses such as Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis and Melissa Leo, who delivered incredible performances.

ARRI Film & TV in Munich handled not only the lab work during physical production, but also the entire postproduction including sound. After the negatives were developed in the lab, the dailies were sent for HD scanning (Daniel Schwertfeger). Afterwards the digitized footage was uploaded onto a FTP server, which the editing team in the US could access. In the crucial phase the director Tony Goldwyn, DoP Adriano Goldman and Postproduction Supervisor Nancy Kirhoffer were in Munich. Grading was completed by ARRI Lead Colorist Traudl Nicholson.

Left: Betty Ann Waters (Hilary Swank) and Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell) Right: Hilary Swank, Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher © Tobis Film

Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister's unwavering devotion to her brother.  When Betty Anne Waters' (two-time Academy Award ® winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.

Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny.  With the help of best friend Abra Rice (Academy Award nominee Minnie Driver), Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor (Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo), meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest.  Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny. 

Opening in German theaters on March 17, 2011: Powder Girl

Director: Phil Traill Screenplay: Tom Williams DoP: Ed Wild Editor: Robin Sales Production Company: Crossday/Kaleidoscope, Neue Bioskop Film German Distributor: Paramount Pictures Germany   ARRI Services: Lab ARRI Rental: Camera, Lighting and Grip Equipment

Phil Traill was the perfect choice for Powder Girl. He's not only known for his comedic talent but also for his great passion for snowboarding. Tom Williams wrote the screenplay and suggested his college classmate Phil Traill for the project. The international feature film production was shot in Garmisch-Patenkirchen by DoP Ed Wild. Dietmar Güntsche and Wolfgang Behr from the New Bioskop Film in Munich were producing. Paramount Pictures is releasing Powder Girl in Germany.

The Neue Bioskop Film entrusted ARRI Film & TV with the lab work while ARRI Rental supplied the camera (ARRICAM Lite & ARRIFLEX 235, 3-Perforation) lighting and grip equipment for the film.

Kim (Felicity Jones) and Jonny (Ed Westwick) © Paramount Pictures Germany

Kim (Felicity Jones), 19, is laid back, smart and full of zest but the skateboarding pro is wasting her time working at a burger joint to support herself and her father. Looking for a new and better paying job she accepts an offer to work as a 'Chalet Girl' at a fancy ski resort in St. Anton. Her duty is to keep the luxury chalet of the wealthy Madsen family in order and to cater to their whims when they receive visitors for the weekend. At the chalet, Kim, who's more of a tomboy, feels she's on another planet. The vanity and opulence would be unbearable... if it weren't for Jonny (Ed Westwick), the smart son of the Madsen's. Kim immediately takes a liking to him and discovers a new passion: snowboarding. Her talent doesn't go unnoticed and together with a crazy guy from Finland, Mikki (Ken Duken), she starts training for the great 'Roxy Slope Style' competition, which comes with a nice chunk of money. Slowly but surely Kim captures the hearts of everyone around her. Even Jonny has to admit that he likes this pretty yet relaxed, cheeky yet sensitive girl and it's obvious that she likes him, too, much to the chagrin of Jonny's girlfriend Chloe (Sophia Bush) and Kim's roommate Georgie (Tamsin Egerton). A falling out seems unavoidable and soon Kim doesn't understand anything anymore...