Two posts in a week...word!
As of Monday night, Russ and I reached the 30 minute mark of editing. One half hour of Josh & Todd is cut and cropped...
Needless to say, we are excited!
More to come.
Jim
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
UPDATE!!!
Jim Here-
Ok, it's been awhile, but I figured I would let you all know what's currently up.
Recently, Russ moved from his apartment in Rockville, CT to an apartment in Bethel, CT. Now, for those of you not in the know, Rockville is in Northeastern CT, only a stone's throw away from MA. Bethel is in Southwestern CT, only the same stone's throw away from NY. Needless to say, it was an epic move, to be sure.
This move left us with a number of weeks where we were simply not able to edit. So, when the time came last monday night to get back in the saddle, we both had to wonder whether or not we would be able to work with the same enthusiasm and productivity as before...
In a simple reponse: No, we didn't work with that same enthusiasm and productivity. In fact, I would say that we exceeded our previous work ethic tenfold. I mean, really, we're kicking ass right now. We are beginning to really hit a stride with this thing, and I can't help but me extremely excited. I know Russ feels the same.
We are hoping to acheive the first real editing milestone soon: the rough cut. People are understandably excited by this prospect, but there is no way that they are as excited as me or Russ. It's a kind of magic, being able to piece all of these random moments and performances into a cohesive story, and have it not only make sense, but be entertaining as hell.
You see things that you didn't see whilst filming. You react differently to performances in editing than you did when you filmed it...
Very cool...more to come.
Ok, it's been awhile, but I figured I would let you all know what's currently up.
Recently, Russ moved from his apartment in Rockville, CT to an apartment in Bethel, CT. Now, for those of you not in the know, Rockville is in Northeastern CT, only a stone's throw away from MA. Bethel is in Southwestern CT, only the same stone's throw away from NY. Needless to say, it was an epic move, to be sure.
This move left us with a number of weeks where we were simply not able to edit. So, when the time came last monday night to get back in the saddle, we both had to wonder whether or not we would be able to work with the same enthusiasm and productivity as before...
In a simple reponse: No, we didn't work with that same enthusiasm and productivity. In fact, I would say that we exceeded our previous work ethic tenfold. I mean, really, we're kicking ass right now. We are beginning to really hit a stride with this thing, and I can't help but me extremely excited. I know Russ feels the same.
We are hoping to acheive the first real editing milestone soon: the rough cut. People are understandably excited by this prospect, but there is no way that they are as excited as me or Russ. It's a kind of magic, being able to piece all of these random moments and performances into a cohesive story, and have it not only make sense, but be entertaining as hell.
You see things that you didn't see whilst filming. You react differently to performances in editing than you did when you filmed it...
Very cool...more to come.
Friday, April 17, 2009
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)
Friday, April 10, 2009
More Second Unit Photography
As promised here are some more shots from recent shooting...
Liz as Dawn
Ronnie and some mook 
Mark as the Brain
(and yes he IS actually reading Twilight and offering his review at the same time!)
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
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Second Unit Photography
OK, technically these aren't "Second Unit" shots. Principal photography on the movie wrapped at the end of 2008 and we just had a few location shots to finish. These were taken during the "office scene" the first weekend in February. Enjoy some "Behind the Scenes" with Josh and Todd.
Jim Williams - directing the shots
Kelly Osborne as Hannah Goldschmidt
Jon Bristol, waiting for his puppet's entrance
Part 2 coming soon...
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year from Josh and Todd!
Josh and Todd want to wish you a Happy New Year!
Don't drink and drive, have a blast, and if you're at a strip club, don't do what they did!
Bringing the dancers home isn't always a good idea!
(Always be wary of strippers with eye patches!)
And come back tomorrow for the first look at footage from the film!!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Happy Holidays!
Jon here...
We've just about finished up shooting the movie, and it's looking good so far!
A couple weeks ago most of the cast was together for a scene, and we spent a good chunk of the nite after just hanging out...
So like a good producer I made sure to get some pictures to share with you!
Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
We've just about finished up shooting the movie, and it's looking good so far!
A couple weeks ago most of the cast was together for a scene, and we spent a good chunk of the nite after just hanging out...
So like a good producer I made sure to get some pictures to share with you!
Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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...
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
Mindy Levack
Erika Pocock
Meghan Sandelli 
And make sure to
Come back on January 1, 2009 for a first look at the film!
Friday, December 12, 2008
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!
TOP SECRET INFO:
Todd is performed by Jon Bristol in the film!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Meet The Cast - J.R. Calvo and Josh Tanner
J.R. Calvo as A Man Named Sue
J.R. (AKA Joe) originally came to Elmwood Productions to be the Vampire Hunter in the Steve The Vampire series and he's stuck around since and continued to act with us and write. He appears in Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet as Sue, a neighbor of Josh and the love of Bob's life.
More on Joe can be found at his website
Josh Tanner as Bob
Josh is a recent recruit into Elmwood productions and makes his debut as both an actor and an assistant puppeteer in Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet.
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