Happy New Year!

Cheers!
Thanks to everyone who came out to one of the screenings this past year!
We've got a few more coming in 2012...
And look for DVD release info to come soon!
We appreciate all the support and hope you have a great 2012!


And now
"News We Missed Reporting in 2011"

We had some cast and crew events! -
In order...

Eric Stegmaier (Josh) became a Resident Artist at Paris in Plantsville in April,
joining Jon in the madness...

Mark Elsinger (The Brain) got married in May.

Russ Bird (Jimmy and cinematographer/editor) got married in October

Gabe Finkenstein (Hunter) got married too! In November!

Rachel Ryan (now Rachel Ly) also got married in November! She came in on our last day of shooting, during re-shoots and kicked ass!!! This is the first time we're mentioning her on this blog, but we bragged about her over on Elmwood's blog!

Jennifer Tanner (Stacy) and Johnnie's Butler the talented Christopher A. Lemanski got engaged in December!

Look at all that love!!!
HUGE CONGRATS to all of you!

New Trailer!

Well Done Eric!

Our own "Josh" - Eric Stegmaier recently kicked butt at The Farmington Valley Arts Centers most recent juried show!!!

CONGRATS ERIC!!!

To read more on his win check out Paris In Plantsville's Blog

Thank you ConnectiCon!

Thanks to everyone who came to the screening 7/9/11 at ConnectiCon Convention in Hartford CT, and thanks to all who goofed around with the puppets!

Pictures from our two days can be found HERE and HERE!

Connecticon 2011 Screening!

Elmwood Productions will be at ConnectiCon this year again!

Two years ago Steve the Vampire was a hit...

Last year Johnnie Sojive harassed you...

This year... "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet" will be screening!

July 9th at 8:00 PM!

To get into the screening you do have to attend the convention, registration/ticket info is here.

Members of the cast and crew will be on hand for a Q&A session following the flick!

Little update and a workshop...

Jon here with a quick "Josh and Todd" update for ya!

We've been working away on touching up the film and getting the DVD bonus features ready!  

More to come soon...  Including screening announcements!

But in the meantime...

Wanna make a puppet with me?.....

Puppet Maker Jon Bristol of The Elmwood Puppets will be holding a three day workshop in July at Paris In Plantsville!

Learn how to make a Muppet/Henson style moving mouth puppet like Steve the Vampire!

All the materials and tools are included in the registration fee, and space is limited, so it's first come first serve.

At the end of the workshop you'll have a completed puppet, and you get to keep the pattern and tools and leftover material for future use!

The dates are July 11, 18, and 25 2011 (all Mondays) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

The total cost is $150.00, a $50.00 deposit* holds your spot in the workshop and the rest is due the first day.

To sign up or for more information contact the instructor, Jon, at jon@elmwoodproductions.com or stop by Paris In Plantsville

* The deposit is non-refundable, but if you have to cancel we'll put it toward a future workshop if you sign up for one!

Paris In Plantsville

15 West Main Street

Plantsville CT 06479

A little update!

Jon here...

It may seem like we're asleep at the wheel over here with this flick, but we're not!

I swear!  Hahaha!

After two weekends of successful screenings Russ, Jim, and I have been going over the flick with the so called fine tooth comb and looking at goofs, slow spots, and missing jokes and fixing the film up!

We have more screenings coming up (we'll be announcing them soon!) and we're about to start prepping the DVD release!  We'll have goodies on it for ya like a commentary, bloopers, and a making of thing, and a few other surprises.

Thanks for sticking with us on the ride

Thanks!

Last weekend we screened the flick again at Paris In Plantsville, and a huge

THANK YOU

to everyone who came out and made it a success, and to Paris In Plantsville!

And thanks to everyone who has been on this journey so far!  Now that we've seen it with a few audiences we're heading back in to play with some of it, get is completed and get DVD features ready!

But there a still more screenings coming too!  Keep on the look out for them!

See the Flick! Tonite and Tomorrow!

One last reminder!

"Josh and Todd" is screening at Paris In Plantsville tonite and tomorrow nite!

Doors open at 7 PM, and the movie starts at 8!

Hope to see you there!  You might even get a puppet!

More info HERE

And Happy Earth Day!

Raffle at the Next Screening!

Want a one of a kind Elmwood Puppet?

Of course you do!!!

Here's how to get one!

On April 22 and April 23 we'll be screening the flick at

  Paris In Plantsville, 

all you have to do is show up and make a five dollar donation to the gallery and you get a raffle ticket!

After the film we'll pick the winner!

We're doing this both nites, so there's two puppets up for grabs!

The puppets are built by our own head puppet maker

 Jon Bristol!

Jon and Todd - Todd isn't part of the raffle, he would be mad at us if he was!

Here's where to see the flick:

Paris In Plantsville Gallery and Studio

15 West Main Street

Plantsville, CT 06479

For more on the screening click HERE

In case you forgot!

We'll be screening the film again at
Paris In Plantsville on 4/22 and 4/23
Click here for more info!

Encore! At Paris In Plantsville 4/22 and 4/23!

Screening In Paris!

Well, not really Paris, but at our home away from home Paris In Plantsville!

The last (and first!) screening of "Josh and Todd" did so well we're doing an encore!

April 22 and 23, doors open at 7:00 PM, and the movie starts at 8:00!

This is going to be the first in a monthly series of films to be presented at the gallery, so we're honored to be part of it, and to kick it off!

More info by using this link!

J.R. Calvo and Todd enjoy a few brews!!

Books And Music... R.I.P. Get there now! Closing 4/18!

Jon here...

One of my favorite places in Connecticut is closing it's doors April 18th.
Books and Music in Plainville on Rt. 10.
I've been shopping there since before it was called Books and Music, and have always found that gem of a CD or book I've been looking for. I've always been treated right by the staff, and always offered a cup of coffee by Ed.

Ed (who works there) just shot me an email letting me know they will be closing this month.
It's upsetting. Personally because I love the place.
Professionally because we made some of "Josh and Todd" there. When Jim went in and asked to film there the owner said yes without any hesitation whatsoever. And the few days we shoot there were some of my favorites of the entire shoot. I was watching the flick a few days ago with my bro Jordan and even mentioned how much I love those scenes and hope to shoot there again.
But that's clearly not going to be the case.

So here's a little plug for the shop as they prepare to lock up:
Everythings on sale!!! Half off!!! And things were already cheap there!
Get there now, cuz on 4/19 when you wake up in the morning it'll be a memory.

ENCORE!!!

We keep getting asked if we'll be showing it again!

And we are!

April 22, and April 23. The doors open at 7:00 PM and the film starts at 8:00PM

$5.00 donation to the gallery is requested to get in (where else can you go to see a movie for five bucks!), and Paris In Plantsville Members get in free!

April 23rd is also The 13th Annual National Day of Puppetry, so what better time to watch a puppet flick!

For more info use this link!  Be there!!!

More Eric! At Paris In Plantsville!

This is not so much "Josh and Todd" news, but it's still related!
Eric Stegmaier, who plays the lead roll of Josh in the film is also an accomplished artist.

An April 2, 2011 he will be having a solo art show of his archaeological illustrations at Paris In Plantsville entitled
"Temporal Artistry"

Gallery talk by the artist at 7:00 PM, discussing Archaeological Illustration and his adventures in the East.

As an archaeological illustrator for the last 9 years, Eric has completed hundreds of field illustrations that span several archaeological facets including artifact rendering, stratigraphic diagramming, vessel profiling, tomb mapping, and architectural floor plan illustration. He has worked at several sites throughout

Israel including Qumran, Bethsaida, and the Roman Fort at Yotvata, and his illustrations appear in several publications including magazines, reports, and textbooks.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the Hartford Art School, and a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies with a focus in death and burial practices from Sacred Heart University. Currently employed as a conservation assistant in the Paintings Conservation department at the Yale Center for BritishArt, Eric has recently begun a working relationship with the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale and is performing freelance work for the Department of Egyptology. His other clientele includes the University of Hartford, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Florida International University.

If you can't make it to the April 2 opening, the show will be running during normal gallery hours from 4/2 to 4/14.

For more information check out the Facebook event page here!

THANK YOU!

Saturday Nite At Paris In Plantsville...

After the screening cast and crew discussed the flick with the audience.

From left to right, J.R.Calvo, Amanda Regan, Jennifer Tanner, Eric Stegmaier, Russ Bird, Jim Willams, and seated - Jon Bristol

Todd made a new friend - we had a great appearance by Freddy J. Frog!

Toward the end of the nite a toast was raised in honor of Paris In Plantsville and to the success of "Josh and Todd" 

And Josh A. got the show started with an amazing performance!

Thanks to everyone who came out over the weekend to see the film!

This is just the first of many screenings coming up, and it sold out!

So we're doing it again at Paris In Plantsville in March in case you missed it!

We're still working out what date so check back soon!

See the Movie! Tomorrow Nite!

Elmwood Productions is proud to announce and invite you to the premiere of our first feature length film; "Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and His Puppet" on February 19, 2011 at Paris In Plantsville!

Plot Overview:

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find a monster has moved in with you? Well, this is what happens to Josh. And not only does the monster Todd move in, but he also causes complete havoc on Josh's boring life. Josh's girlfriend can't take it and leaves, his friends think he's going nuts, and all Todd want's him to do is loosen up for the first time since childhood and have some fun.

The doors open at 7:00 PM and the film starts at 8:00PM

$5.00 to get in (where else can you go to see a movie for five bucks!)

The film is not rated, be advised - this is not for kids. The film does have all sorts of things to ruin a kids mind, like coarse language, modern psychology, adult subject matter and puppet nudity. Yes, puppet nudity. The film is still in progress. This screening will also not only entertain you (we hope!) but will also help the filmmakers as they continue to edit it before entering film festivals and release the film on DVD.

Following the screening the filmmakers (Jon Bristol, Jim Williams, and Russ Bird) along with members of the cast will be doing a question and answer session on micro-budget filmmaking, working with monsters, and other things that went along with making this film for those interested. Those not are free to hang out and enjoy the gallery also.

Paris In Plantsville

15 West Main Street AKA Rt 10 Southington

Plantsville CT

www.parisinplantsville.com

www.elmwoodproductions.com

Happy Valentine's Day From Josh and Todd...

Are you coming to see the madness?

Will Todd find love?  

Will Josh make up with his girlfriend?

Is Dawn a psycho lesbian?

Will Hunter get violated in a jail cell?

Does Johnnie even know those girls names?

Do you have no idea what any of this is about?

You don't?

Well then you have to come see the movie this Saturday nite on 2/19!

Click here for all the details!

19 Days!

It's February first...  Have you saved the date yet?

2/19/11

First Public Screening at Paris In Plantsville!

Hope to see you there!

More info click here

Josh and Todd Screening At Paris In Plantsville!

The flick is screening 2/19/11 at Paris In Plantsville and it looks like Josh and Todd are ready to celebrate!

FIRST PUBLIC SCREENING!!!

Are you ready to have your socks rocked off?

JOSH AND TODD 

ARE GOING TO DO THAT TO YOU!

Saturday 2/19/2011!  

At Paris In Plantsville Gallery and Studio!

8 PM.  5 Bucks.

What more do you want?

Oh..  you do want more?

Todd will be there!  Johnnie Sojive will be there!

Jim Williams will be there!!!

For more info check out the event page on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153479614703062

You can be the first to see it, then brag to everyone you know!

"Are you guys done yet?"

We hear that ALOT.

Jon here....

That’s it.  

A wrap.  

All that's left is tweaking in the editing room...

Jim’s been doing most of the explaining of what we’re up to, and a while ago he even shared a story about our first attempt to make this movie a few years ago.

The whole thing fell apart as we were shooting it.  The only two things about that first attempt that was ready was our drive to do it and the puppets.

I’m glad it fell apart.  It gave us a chance to wait, and do it right.

And this one is right.

We got lucky, we got an awesome cast, the puppets look better than ever, we had helpful locations, and everyone we know seems to have given up at least a couple hours of their life to help make “Josh and Todd”

So why am I going over all this?

Well… I'm happy with the movie…

Very happy.

So as we finished shooting the re-shoots this past summer I started thinking about the starts of this film.  I started remembering building the original Todd and Johnnie puppets.  I started thinking about the show that came out of (not) making the movie, called “It’s Late Enough with Plink” and I started laughing about me breaking my toe while building sets in my old apartment with Russ there.  And remembering breaking Jim in with puppets, and on and on and on…

But I’m gonna save those stories for the DVD so you’ll have to buy it.

I just want to say thanks to all the cast and crew and everyone else who made “Josh and Todd” possible, you all mean the world to me.  And I can’t wait to work with all of you again, even Gabe.

Love,

Jon.  I'm just a guy, I try to smell good.

ps...  screening in Feb 2011, date to be announced soon!!!