Hey All!
Just figured I would give an update, but it looks like Jon beat me to it. Russ and I sat down to watch a VERY rough cut of J&T Monday night. The film is hysterical. There are still some items that need to be worked, as well as a couple of scenes that need to be reshot, but all in all the film has a real identity of it's own and will be a real good time for those who watch it.
Talk to you soon!
Jim
Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Two tapes down, 8 minutes finished...
Editing is moving along at a pace that only those who have edited movies can truly understand. Couple that with the fact that Russ and I have full time jobs, live 40 minutes away from each other, and have a bunch of life that gets in the way, and it brings the editing process to a grinding halt except for once a week.
We will be spending some weekends editing very soon. I think that even with the time complications and such, we should be able to get the rough cut of this thing edited by the end of June. I still think that is reasonable.
We have already determined that we will need at least a day, if not more, of overdubbing for some scenes. We are awaiting some soundtrack stuff, and will also need to Foley some effects. Most of this requires that at least the bulk of the editing be done...
It is indeed quite a process, and I seriously think that next time I direct a big film like this, that I am going to edit as I shoot. Will it make the initial process that much more arduous? Probably, but it will cut down on a lot of the post-production woes.
All stress and griping aside, I love it. I wish someone would give me a job doing it...
Jim
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It has begun!
Jim Here,
Russ and I started Editing last night. I am proud to say that 5 minutes of Josh and Todd is cut and cropped! I know this doesnt sound like much, but to anyone whose made a film, they would know that this is indeed a time consuming process. It was indeed satisfying to do and nice to see some product up on the screen in more than just clips.
I will post more later.
JW
Russ and I started Editing last night. I am proud to say that 5 minutes of Josh and Todd is cut and cropped! I know this doesnt sound like much, but to anyone whose made a film, they would know that this is indeed a time consuming process. It was indeed satisfying to do and nice to see some product up on the screen in more than just clips.
I will post more later.
JW
Monday, March 16, 2009
Friday - The Nitemare Shoot
So Friday night we shot the opening scene of Josh & Todd. In it Josh is having a nightmare. The completion of this shoot marked two big milestones in Josh & Todd:
1. It was the true conclusion of Principle Photography.
2. We reshot the scene that got me into Elmwood Productions all of those years ago.
Allow me a moment to explain...
However many years ago it was, 6 or 7 at this point, Jon, Russ, and I were employees at Borders Books & Music is Farmington, CT. We were all friends, but I hadn't really started hanging out with them outside of work too much yet. After a bunch of talk, Jon invited me over the his house to help in some filming for a goofy script that he had written, Josh & Todd: the Story of a Man & his Puppet. I liked the script and liked Jon and Russ, so I headed over after work.
Getting lost in Plainville (insert irony here: I live there now). I showed up at Jon's place around 10:30 pm on what I remember was a very hot summer evening. Jon and Russ were trying to get our Josh at the time, a gangly, funny kid we worked with named Josh Leder, to run down the alley on the side of Jon's house in a frightened fashion. Much to Jon's chagrin and Russ's continued frustration, it just wasn't coming together.
They wrapped for the evening, we all hung out a bit longer, and called it a night. A Couple of weeks later, they showed me a trailer for the film featuring the footage that they had shot throughout the day, including some from evening debacle that I witnessed.
I really enjoyed the trailer. The part that had struck and chord, and continues to today, was the opening scene of the trailer. Todd is walking down the streets of Plainville after being kicked out, and stops at a newspaper machine. His sticks his finger into the change return, hoping to find some, but to no avail. With a small shrug, he continues on his way. Something about that scene entertained me to no end and has stuck with me for all these years later.
That humid summer evening was my first night with Elmwood, although I didn't even know it yet...
- Jim
1. It was the true conclusion of Principle Photography.
2. We reshot the scene that got me into Elmwood Productions all of those years ago.
Allow me a moment to explain...
However many years ago it was, 6 or 7 at this point, Jon, Russ, and I were employees at Borders Books & Music is Farmington, CT. We were all friends, but I hadn't really started hanging out with them outside of work too much yet. After a bunch of talk, Jon invited me over the his house to help in some filming for a goofy script that he had written, Josh & Todd: the Story of a Man & his Puppet. I liked the script and liked Jon and Russ, so I headed over after work.
Getting lost in Plainville (insert irony here: I live there now). I showed up at Jon's place around 10:30 pm on what I remember was a very hot summer evening. Jon and Russ were trying to get our Josh at the time, a gangly, funny kid we worked with named Josh Leder, to run down the alley on the side of Jon's house in a frightened fashion. Much to Jon's chagrin and Russ's continued frustration, it just wasn't coming together.
They wrapped for the evening, we all hung out a bit longer, and called it a night. A Couple of weeks later, they showed me a trailer for the film featuring the footage that they had shot throughout the day, including some from evening debacle that I witnessed.
I really enjoyed the trailer. The part that had struck and chord, and continues to today, was the opening scene of the trailer. Todd is walking down the streets of Plainville after being kicked out, and stops at a newspaper machine. His sticks his finger into the change return, hoping to find some, but to no avail. With a small shrug, he continues on his way. Something about that scene entertained me to no end and has stuck with me for all these years later.
That humid summer evening was my first night with Elmwood, although I didn't even know it yet...
- Jim
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hey, Jim is actually posting!!!
Hey there all!
So, photography on J&T is finally nearing the end. We hope to have the last two scenes filmed this month. Russ has already loaded up the first set of shots and is patiently awaiting me to set up some time with him. It is still really my goal to see this sumbitch cut, cropped, and cleaned up by the end of June.
I kinda miss working on this film. It was such a huge undertaking and, while horribly stressful and at times completely disorganized, it was a ton of fun and extremely satisfying. Russ & Jon remind me that we have a lot of work left ahead of us on this, and that I will probably be sick of it by the time we're done (at least that's the conversation we had last time we really talked about it...) They're probably right, but for right now, it's still fresh in my mind as a delightfully stressful time in our lives.
So, that's it for now. I hope t be able to post something more substantial soon.
Till then,
Don't Dream it, Be it!
Jim
So, photography on J&T is finally nearing the end. We hope to have the last two scenes filmed this month. Russ has already loaded up the first set of shots and is patiently awaiting me to set up some time with him. It is still really my goal to see this sumbitch cut, cropped, and cleaned up by the end of June.
I kinda miss working on this film. It was such a huge undertaking and, while horribly stressful and at times completely disorganized, it was a ton of fun and extremely satisfying. Russ & Jon remind me that we have a lot of work left ahead of us on this, and that I will probably be sick of it by the time we're done (at least that's the conversation we had last time we really talked about it...) They're probably right, but for right now, it's still fresh in my mind as a delightfully stressful time in our lives.
So, that's it for now. I hope t be able to post something more substantial soon.
Till then,
Don't Dream it, Be it!
Jim
Monday, November 10, 2008
Meet the Cast and Crew - Jim Williams
Jim Williams is the President of Elmwood Productions.
Jim is the co-writer and co-directer of "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man And His Puppet"
He joined Elmwood productions in 2003 as a puppeteer and quickly moved his way into writing and directing. Jim graduated with a Bachelor's Of Fine Arts in Acting from Central Connecticut State University in 2008 . He's worn many hats in his career, puppeteer, actor, singer, table dancer, and director.
For more on Jim, and his work with Elmwood Productions please check out his link-Jim's Bio On Elmwood Productions
Jim, and Peter Lucco, while on location
Monday, October 13, 2008
First Day of Filming is complete!!!
On Saturday, we shot our first group of scenes for J&T. These were shot on location at Central Cafe in Plainville, CT. The staff there was awesome, with the lovely Michelle taking care of us, as always. We shot a scene with Josh (Eric Stegmaier) and Brain (Mark Elsinger) having lunch and discussing the origin of Josh's inner puppet, Todd (Performed by Jon Bristol). We also shot a scene with Brain and Todd having a drink discussing Todd's impact on the relationship between Josh and his girlfriend Stacy (Jenn Tanner). We got a lot of great footage, and I hope we are able to review the dailies on it very soon.
We will have still photos from the shoot posted very soon!
Till next time!
Jim
We will have still photos from the shoot posted very soon!
Till next time!
Jim
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Cast of Josh & Todd and the first week of rehearsals.
Hey all!
So Last week we wrapped up the first set of rehearsals for Josh & Todd! In order have rehearsals, you would think that we have finalized a cast. You would be correct. We took some pictures of the cast to post on the site, or rather I took said pictures. Needless to say, they came out horribly, and I will therefore not post them, as they will not do the actors justice. I will have some new pics soon, and will post them AS SOON as I take them...promise!
I will however take a minute to actually give you our cast list:
So Last week we wrapped up the first set of rehearsals for Josh & Todd! In order have rehearsals, you would think that we have finalized a cast. You would be correct. We took some pictures of the cast to post on the site, or rather I took said pictures. Needless to say, they came out horribly, and I will therefore not post them, as they will not do the actors justice. I will have some new pics soon, and will post them AS SOON as I take them...promise!
I will however take a minute to actually give you our cast list:
Mark Elsinger as The Brain
Gabe Finkenstein as Hunter
Josh Tanner as Bob
Joe Calvo as Sue
Russ Bird as Jimmy the Record Store Guy
Amanda Regan as The Blind Date
and
a special appearance by Johnnie Sojive
Gabe Finkenstein as Hunter
Josh Tanner as Bob
Joe Calvo as Sue
Russ Bird as Jimmy the Record Store Guy
Amanda Regan as The Blind Date
and
a special appearance by Johnnie Sojive
There are several other cameos and such, including one from yours truely (of course, my ego knows no bounds!), but this is your prinicple cast. I have to say that we put together an excellent cast. I think you will agree when you see the final product.
We are continuing to rehearse and are planning on beginning principle filming on Saturday!
That's it for now. But I assure you, there will be more to come.
Until then,
Jim
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Josh and Todd Update 9/23/08
Hello all!
I thought I might give you quick update on the progress of Josh & Todd, a story of a Man and his Puppet. Principle casting is finished, and I expect to be able to post a cast list in the next few days. We are very excited about the cast, and they seem genuinely excited about the project. That's a whole lotta excitement!
Principle shooting locales have been scouted and secured, with only a few specific locations still in the air. Hopefully, we'll be able to pin these down in the next few weeks.
With the exception of one character, all of the Puppets required for this film have been built and costumed. Jon really went above and beyond with some of these pieces and with the puppet of Todd in particular. At almost 5' with his legs attached, his is bigger than some of our friends!
We have secured the rights to music from a few local artists, including Simon Sinister and Greg Wood. Their music is extremely varied and gives us quite a bit to work with.
All in all, things are moving along nicely. I imagine you will be seeing this blog updated quite a bit now that we have preproduction pretty much in can. Principle photography begins within the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted.
Until then,
Jim Williams
Co-Director - Josh & Todd: A Story of a Man and his Puppet.
I thought I might give you quick update on the progress of Josh & Todd, a story of a Man and his Puppet. Principle casting is finished, and I expect to be able to post a cast list in the next few days. We are very excited about the cast, and they seem genuinely excited about the project. That's a whole lotta excitement!
Principle shooting locales have been scouted and secured, with only a few specific locations still in the air. Hopefully, we'll be able to pin these down in the next few weeks.
With the exception of one character, all of the Puppets required for this film have been built and costumed. Jon really went above and beyond with some of these pieces and with the puppet of Todd in particular. At almost 5' with his legs attached, his is bigger than some of our friends!
We have secured the rights to music from a few local artists, including Simon Sinister and Greg Wood. Their music is extremely varied and gives us quite a bit to work with.
All in all, things are moving along nicely. I imagine you will be seeing this blog updated quite a bit now that we have preproduction pretty much in can. Principle photography begins within the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted.
Until then,
Jim Williams
Co-Director - Josh & Todd: A Story of a Man and his Puppet.
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