Todd and Friends!

Todd went out on 8/11/12 to see his buddy's art show - My Glass heART: The Work of Josh Blumenthal at Paris In Plantsville!

Here's Todd and the people he met!

 Todd and Brie

 Garrett, Todd, Lys, and the super talented star of the nite: Josh Blumenthal!

 Garrett and Todd spent hours discussing "Caligula"

 Heather, Todd, and Brie

"Josh and Todd" co-directer Jon Bristol even showed up!

 Lys and Todd (and Josh too, even tough Lys was hoping to get some alone time with Todd)

One of Todd's best buds, Sean!

The other "Josh" -  Eric was even there!  He was a little too happy to see Todd!

The one and only Steve Rand!

And this lady....
We have no idea who she is but she did offer Todd oral pleasure!

Do you have a picture of yourself with Todd? Email it to fanmail@elmwoodproductions.com and we'll post it here!!!

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

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

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.

"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!!!

Hey, A Movie!

I've seen it.
It exists.
Be afraid!!! Hahahaha!!!


Tonite I watched the rough cut of "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"

And I laughed, alot.
Not that I didn't think I wouldn't... But I did already know all the jokes and I was there everyday of shooting. And I still did laugh out loud. The cast makes it... Everyone did great work... There's still a ways to go on it, dubbing lines, adding sound efx and music, etc... and a couple bits to shoot/re-shoot just to fill it in more...
But it is a real movie...
I can not wait for all of you to see it.

Sweet dreams-
JB

What's new?

Jon here...

Well a year ago we started shooting this flick. And on Tuesday morning Jim notified me that he and Russ just completed the first very rough cut of the film. And he says it's great. Sure, his opinion is biased, but I still believe him. And this makes me happy.
No, no one will be seeing this movie for a few more months, it's just a rough cut, we still have audio to dub, effects to add, a scene or two to re-shoot and music to add. But this is exciting to me. Another huge step taken. I haven't been in on the editing. It's not my thing. Russ is great at it and I don't play well with others when editing, so I take care of some of the shorts and Russ does all the big stuff. I'd be a fool and I thought I was better, hahaha.
So it's been a year since we started shooting. What a year! We started making a couple shorts and finishing scenes for Josh and Todd and then made a few more shorts, and Eric even got married!
A year ago I was amazed we got this started, amazed we got this awesome cast, amazed at how good everything looked when I watch the dailies. I'm simply amazed.
So to the cast and crew who worked their asses off and will have to come back and work a little bit more;
Thank you, love you.

JB (and Todd too!)

Meet The Cast - Johnnie Sojive

Johnnie Sojive makes a Special Guest Appearance as Himself

in Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and His Puppet

.

Johnnie is a man of many talents, he has a talent for womanizing, a talent for drinking, a talent for poetry, and a talent for saying things that will make you look around the room and say "Huh?"

He's known as the two fisting madman and is also famous for announcing that he's "drinkin' and stinkin!" whenever he is drinking and stinking. And we're not even sure what stinking is.

When co-director Jim Williams found out that Jon wrote a special part in the film for his long time friend, Jim said: "Jon, are you serious? He's a loose cannon. Remember last time we worked with him? No, you don't. Know one does because you disappeared with him for five months on a bender. This makes me nervous man. Very nervous."

Then Jon found out Johnnie had gone missing...

It took a while for us to track him down to get him in the movie, apparently he felt his days hosting "Poetry Corner" were over, and he was in Guam fighting in the War On Sobriety to stop the prohibition (for the record there is no prohibition in Guam) but Jon got him back, gave him some hooch and some "ladies"and he's ready to rock your socks off.

Johnnie with Josh in between shots (not of film, but rum)

For more Johnnie madness click here!

Meet The Cast - And the Rest!

Jon Here...
This time around we won't be posting pictures and bios of the rest of the cast. Just the names and a heartfelt "thank you" for being involved. One thing I did do was steal pictures of people from myspace and things like that... Yes I was looking for funny pics...

So here we go... Alphabetized... The rest of the cast!

Anna Gawel

Anna's is doing make-up for some of the cast, no she doesn't normally wear a tiara! But she should.

Sam Hugh

Chris Lemanski

Mindy Levack

Peter Lucco

Dan Nyren

Kelly Osborne

Erika Pocock

Meghan Sandelli

Kendra Smith

Jaime Williams

Ed from Books and Music in Plainville CT

And thanks to Ron and the staff of Central Cafe, Plainville CT

And make sure to

Come back on January 1, 2009 for a first look at the film!

Meet The Cast - Todd the Monster

Todd the Monster as Todd

Todd is appearing as a character with a very similar name in the film Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man And His Puppet.

After getting his chops co-starring in a failed public access series Todd went on to wait tables and sling coffee for a few years in New York. He moved back to Connecticut and re-connected with his former producer, Jon Bristol, and Jon quickly cast him in this film.

Jon said; "It's the perfect part for him, and I'm sure Todd will be a star after this film hits the streets. He has it all, looks, charm, he can sing and dance, and he's scotch guarded."

Co-Star Eric Stegmaier and Todd have become very close friends since the production began, and Eric had this observation about Todd; "Todd has a tendency to instigate matters that most people try to sweep under the carpet. He is a habitual line crosser, and he does so by badgering and annoying everyone involved. However, once the dust settles the conclusion is always the same… the little bastard is right. And he's a damn fine actor"

In his down time Todd hangs out with his girlfriend, Sherberta, and he hopes to eventually direct the film he's writing, based on the book he wrote about his adventures; "Foam Fantasies Come True: A Life in Puppet Exploitation Films".

Todd and Jon, taking a break from shooting
TOP SECRET INFO:
Todd is performed by Jon Bristol in the film!

Meet the Cast and Crew - Jon Bristol

Jon Bristol is the founder, CEO, and creative director for Elmwood Productions.

Jon is the co-writer and co-directer of "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man And His Puppet" and the lead puppeteer and puppet maker for Elmwood Puppets

He began the company with the plans of making one puppet film and then moving on to other things. But once puppetry gets in the blood it never comes out. He has been a life long puppet fan and jumped in head first.

There's a lot about Jon on the internet with the other Elmwood sites, so instead of putting up a full bio of him we're going to hand out some links.

Jon's Bio On Elmwood Productions

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:

Eric Stegmaier as Josh
Jon Bristol as Todd

Jennifer Tanner as Stacy
Elizabeth Bohmier as Dawn

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

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