Elmwood Productions, home of the Elmwood Puppets. www.elmwoodproductions.com
Thursday, August 08, 2013
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Jeremy Jordan... Elmwood Man, And an Artist too!
Friday, August 02, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Make It POP!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
2 Minute Film Festival - Vote For Elmwood!!!
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Kermit the Band! - Tomorrow Nite!
And Todd will be there too!
Friday, July 05, 2013
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Two-Minute Film Festival!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Animal Behavior - Meet Jon - NEW TRAILER!
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
G@mrz!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
"JOSH AND TODD" - Another step closer to your DVD player!
Thursday, April 04, 2013
Steve the Vampire Who Goes To Therapy
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, March 08, 2013
Thursday, March 07, 2013
It's gonna be a bad day...
Friday, February 01, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Rerun Month: Artist Profile - Jon Bristol
For more on Paris In Plantsville CLICK HERE!!!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Rerun Month: Un-Official Elmwood Shorts: The Master of Funk-Fu!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Monday, January 07, 2013
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Rerun Month: Steve the Vampire Episode 1
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Good-bye 2012!
As the year comes to a close I'm sitting here thinking of the past 12 months, and the nine of them that have been celebrating 10 Years Of Elmwood Productions... We will be celebrating through March 2013 when we close out the ten year party with the premiere screening of "Animal Behavior" at Paris In Plantsville...
And thank you guys at PiP for all your support since we first teamed up in 2010!
What a year 2012 has been too. Both wonderful and tragic, as any year can be...
The holiday season is also coming to a close with New Year's Eve celebrations tomorrow nite. So we at Elmwood want to remind you (and ourselves) to be good to everyone when you can. And if you can - do good for others too...
Monday, December 24, 2012
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Saturday, November 03, 2012
G@mrz - First Episode of Our New Series!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween from Steve the Vampire and Friends!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Are you friends with Todd?
Have you met the star of "Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and His Puppet"?
Sunday, September 02, 2012
MDA SHOW of STRENGTH tonite!
Jon here...
Don't forget to support the MDA tonite, and as often as you can!
Thanks!
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Rocket Time!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
G@mrz Screening 9/29!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Steve The Vampire Meets Dracula
Friday, July 13, 2012
Ten Years!!! Happy Friday the 13th!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Saturday, June 02, 2012
We The People: People's Choice Juried Show
We The People: People's Choice Juried Show
How It Works:
Every Man, Woman & Child entering the Gallery on July 7th will be handed a voting ballot. Voting will take place all day or their favorite work of art. The vote's will be tallied and the winner will be announced at 10 p.m. July 7th as the Presidential winner, and take home a cash prize.
Submission Info:
-$10 per entry
-As many entries as you want!
-Work will be submitted June 28,29,30 during regular gallery hours 12-8 p.m.
-At the closing of the show, work must be picked up Aug 1,2,3
Celebrate Democracy at it's finest! Every vote matters! and everyone has a chance to have a voice! Hope you can join us!
For more info use this LINK!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Monday, May 07, 2012
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
"Josh & Todd" Screening!
We hope to see you there 3/31!!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
WOW! Thank you! AND AN ENCORE!
Thank you to everyone who came out!
Don't forget - The exhibition runs through 3/31, and ends with a screening of "Josh and Todd: The Story of A Man and His Puppet"!And did you miss "Steve the Vampire"?
DON'T WORRY!
WE GOT YOUR BACK!
Here we are, doing a hit and run screening this coming Friday Nite!
IN THREE DAYS MARCH 16th -
Doors open at 7:00 PM, and the movie will start at 8:00 PM...
This time, bring your favorite cushion or blanket to sit on, we're gonna keep it laid back and silly, and bring your camera and get pics with Steve and the Elmwood Puppets!
For info on the rest of the event, and the March 31st Closing Party and "Josh and Todd" screening use this link - http://www.facebook.com/
We can't wait to see ya!
Friday, March 02, 2012
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Click the Pic!!!Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Week Away!!! Steve the Vampire Screening and Tenth Anniversary Party
Thanks for all your support over the years!
The celebrate we will be screening for the first time ever "The Complete Steve The Vampire" on March 3, 2012 at Paris In Plantsville Gallery and Studio!
That same day Paris In Plants...ville will open a new exhibition to celebrate the Ten Years of Elmwood Productions! The gallery will be filled with puppets from our films, behind the scenes photography, character designs, and more.
"The Complete Steve The Vampire" follows the adventures of Steve who was turned into a vampire as a teenager and although now in his mid-twenties, he just can't catch a break trying to prove himself in the vampire community. Between his overbearing and in denial mother, his indifferent girlfriend, and his unlikely friendship with Dracula, he still manages to keep his head on straight and do his best to avoid being staked by the local vampire slayer.
And all he wants to do is hang out, watch some Star Trek, and enjoy a good glass a blood...
The screening is also part of Paris In Plantsville's monthly film series showcasing independent films made in and connected to the local film community.
And on March 31st we will also be screening our feature film "Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and is Puppet" to close out the exhibition.
For both screening the doors open at 7:00 PM, and the films start at 8:00PM.
As with all our screenings it is a free event, but donations to the gallery are appreciated. The donations keep events like this happening!
We'd like to thank our friends at The Official Beer of Elmwood Productions - Pabst Blue Ribbon - for all their support!
"Steve the Vampire" is rated PG, Screening 3/3
"Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and His Puppet" is rated R, screening 3/31
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, February 05, 2012
The Complete Steve the Vampire - 3/3/12 at Paris In PLantsville!
March 3, 2012 - Doors open at 7:00 PM, the movie starts at 8:00PM!Click the picture for more info!
That same day Paris In Plantsville will open a new exhibition to celebrate the Ten Years of Elmwood Productions! The gallery will be filled with puppets from our films, behind the scenes photography, character designs, and more.
"The Complete Steve The Vampire" follows the adventures of Steve who was turned into a vampire as a teenager and although now in his mid-twenties, he just can't catch a break trying to prove himself in the vampire community. Between his overbearing and in denial mother, his indifferent girlfriend, and his unlikely friendship with Dracula, he still manages to keep his head on straight and do his best to avoid being staked by the local vampire slayer.
And all he wants to do is hang out, watch some Star Trek, and enjoy a good glass a blood...
The screening is also part of Paris In Plantsville's monthly film series showcasing independent films made in and connected to the local film community.
And on March 31st we will also be screening our feature film "Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and is Puppet" to close out the exhibition.
For both screening the doors open at 7:00 PM, and the films start at 8:00PM.
As with all our screenings it is a free event, but donations to the gallery are appreciated. The donations keep events like this happening!
We'd like to thank our friends at The Official Beer of Elmwood Productions
- Pabst Blue Ribbon -
for all their support!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ten Year Celebration!
Yup! We have been doing this for ten years!The celebrate we will be screening for the first time ever
"The Complete Steve The Vampire"
on March 3, 2012 at Paris In Plantsville Gallery and Studio!
That same day Paris In Plantsville will open a new exhibition to celebrate the Ten Years of Elmwood Productions! The gallery will be filled with puppets from our films, behind the scenes photography, character designs, and more."The Complete Steve The Vampire" follows the adventures of Steve who was turned into a vampire as a teenager and although now in his mid-twenties, he just can't catch a break trying to prove himself in the vampire community. Between his overbearing and in denial mother, his indifferent girlfriend, and his unlikely friendship with Dracula, he still manages to keep his head on straight and do his best to avoid being staked by the local vampire slayer.
And all he wants to do is hang out, watch some Star Trek, and enjoy a good glass a blood...
The screening is also part of Paris In Plantsville's monthly film series showcasing independent films made in and connected to the local film community.
And on March 31st we will also be screening our feature film
"Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and is Puppet"
to close out the exhibition.
For both screening the doors open at 7:00 PM, and the films start at 8:00PM.
As with all our screenings it is a free event, but donations to the gallery are appreciated. The donations keep events like this happening!
"Steve the Vampire" is rated PG
"Josh and Todd: The Story of a Man and His Puppet" is rated R
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Steve the Vampire... Behind the scenes...
Here's a peek at what we did...
Sunday, January 01, 2012
2012!!!
Class of 2011Chris Ly, Rachel Ly, Peter Lucco, Shane McNeal, Jim Williams, Jon Bristol, Gabe Finkenstein, Jaime Williams
and we had some help from Brie McDonald, Jordan Deschene, and Joe Calvo too!
Thank you for making 2011 our best year yet!
With all the "Josh and Todd" madness and screenings over 2011 we were also quietly working on more "Steve the Vampire" episodes and a few other surprises to unleash in 2012, our Tenth Anniversary!
We are grateful to have such great support from everyone!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
King Tiki Tiki's Christmas Extravaganza!
Hope you and all the people have an amazing holiday season!
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
2012... Ten Years...
I open the door to Paris in Plantsville, a small, cozy art gallery and studio, when I hear the bell ring to announce my arrival. I glance around for my elusive cousin Jonathan, who can frequently be found at the gallery, and peer my head around the corner. I see him standing in the corner with a co-worker, admiring a piece of art on display for the Halloween themed open gallery, and looking casual in a t-shirt and wearing converse, as usual. His head shining partially bald at the age of 36, a shocking sight when compared to the head of hair he had as a teen, and I see his trademark beard that wraps around his face, which I acquaint him with. He has a smile on as usual, and he looks ready to laugh at any moment. He greets me joyously and brings me to the humble back porch, decorated by the creative artists at the gallery.
We catch up on our lives; He tells me everything’s been going great. I tell him about school and the usual, making that small talk that’s always required when you haven’t seen a family member in some time. We eventually migrate inside to escape the roaring winds, and settle down into some office chairs in the back studio. We make ourselves comfortable and he looks at me with a face that says let’s get this show on the road. His desk is to my left, with a few papers scattered across it, a pencil, and some pictures of his puppets. He looks eager to answer my questions and smiles at me. We begin to talk about puppetry: his hobby, talent, and passion in life. Jonathan is the man who started a company called Elmwood Productions, a small film production/puppet making company that he runs with his friends and family, named after Jon’s hometown of Elmwood, Connecticut. “It’s like something that was always there. I grew up obsessed playing with my toy puppets all of the time, and it just kind of stuck. I think the first time I took it seriously was in my early twenties”, he says about how he became interested in puppeteering. “My earliest memories are, like, watching the Muppet Show on Sundays, and then like after kindergarten just like, putting the records on, you remember records? And like trying to lip sing with the puppets to them and hoping people would watch me do little shows, and no one did”. His love for the Muppets is a well-known fact. In fact Jon can frequently be seen wearing a Kermit The Frog t-shirt, and if that isn’t enough for him, he’s got Kermit tattooed on his arm for his permanent viewing pleasure. "If you asked me when I was six years old what I wanted to be when I grow up, I would have said Kermit the frog", he says with a chuckle. He tells me he didn’t become interested in working with puppets until he realized that they were more then just toys; “People actually do this”, he says. The rest is Elmwood Puppets history.
When telling me about the beginnings of his company he says it wasn’t until after he had tried some other things in life when the curiosity of what comic book art would look like in a 3D form sparked in his mind. “That was after I had tried a couple other things in life as far as creative outlets. I did comic art for a few years, I really enjoyed that too, and then I was looking at some of my drawings, and I was curious about what they would look like in three dimensions…and it just clicked, like, the love of puppets and the Muppets, it just clicked.”, he says, as if it wasn’t a decision he had any control over. After his move back to Connecticut from Florida, where he spent most of his free time indoors working on puppets due to the extreme heat, he met up with his friend Russ Bird, who was interested in film making as well. "We started throwing ideas at each other, next thing you know we were literally writing scripts and just making our friends come over to my apartment and do puppetry. They didn't know how to do it… and that was the start of Elmwood Productions." He gives me a brief synopsis of how the company was named. He says, “It’s catchy, you know? Elmwood Productions. It’s better than like, Dingle Berry Productions”. I laugh; his humor never fails to be ridiculous, and to put a smile on my face. I ask how he taught himself to make puppets, he replies that he read a lot of books, "I hit like every library in town…if I could check the book out then I would, and if I couldn’t, I brought my camera and took pictures of it". He was dedicated to learning this art, and had plenty of time to master this skill at that point in his life, as he spent eight hours a day "sitting in the living room, waiting for the inevitable", as he describes it, while he was caring for his mother who was extremely ill with emphysema. Making puppets was relaxing for Jonathan, "The most calm I am is when I’m building puppets", he says. He’s grateful for his love of puppets, it keeps his mind off of the stressful things in life; family, friends, work, etc. “Elmwood kept me going”., he says about his company.
Of course it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows when starting a company up from the ground. He tells me about the struggles to make time for puppeteering while still trying to pay the bills, how hard it can be to find people as committed as he is. “When you’re doing something as odd as puppetry, its not like you have a painting and you hang it in on a wall in a gallery or you have a song and you put it on iTunes. This is just weird, it’s just hard to get the doors open, especially in the puppetry community too because they’re so tight knit and secretive, which is sad in a way because if people were more open about it, then there would be more of it out there”. Jon says about the obstacles of puppetry. There have been times where he didn’t think starting the company would be possible. I ask him if there were ever times where he felt like quitting. He responds, “Hell yeah, after I got divorced I was just like screw this, you know. I don’t want to do this anymore. I just want to be like everyone else and be the drone and have the job and pay my bills and watch movies on the weekend and this and that.” While going through his divorce, he says he felt like “hanging it up, it was a hassle”. But these types of struggles won’t hold him back, Jon is the type of guy to get back on his feet and keep moving. Having been through his fair share of hardships in life such as the deaths of his older brother, mother, and close friends, he won’t let anything stop him from doing what he loves. “Usually when something bad happens that makes me think about doing that, it just makes me decide to push even harder.” he tells me. When asked about the growth of the company he says, "We started out as a bunch of guys in my living room with a video camera…just making skits and tying them together and trying to get onto public access…we just worked our asses off”. Of course that hard work paid off, and with the help of the Internet and social networking, Elmwood Productions has grown significantly over the years. I say to Jon, “How do you judge the success of your company?”.” He simply says, “Laughter, honest to god”, and eventually recalls a time when an Elmwood Productions film truly impacted someone’s life for the better. “We made a movie that we premiered this year, and a buddy of mine brought his son who was going through a life crisis. Freshman in college and just nothing was going right for him, and that movie just kind of opened his eyes and made him realized that he needed to get out of his fucking shell. I never thought I’d make a movie like that, that actually made a difference to somebody", he says regarding his first film, Josh & Todd: The Story of a Man and his Puppet. The film focuses on Josh, who has a puppet (Todd) move in with him in his apartment, and he must learn to accept Todd and become a more adventurous and outgoing person. Jon and his company have also made short films such as Steve The Vampire, Betty and Me, and Naked Girlfriend. Some people may be more concerned with paying the bills than being happy, but Jon isn’t one of them. "Life’s too short to not do what you care about", he says.
Jonathan isn’t your average man, he’s had an almost countless number of jobs from working in landscaping to running a coffee shop, which prompted me to ask what his plans were when he graduated high school, if any. He says he always wanted to be an artist, he didn’t go to college, and like any other normal kid after high school, he went a little wild the summer after graduating. "I knew I wasn't taking a conventional route", he says about his life. Most young adults today are pressured to follow a certain route after graduating, and Jonathan wasn’t excluded from that crowd, even though times were a bit different eighteen years ago. He tells me about his high school guidance counselor and how she didn’t support his career plans at all; he bitterly describes her job as useless. He recalls on a time when a classmates mother questioned him for not continuing his education, she asked him what he was doing with his life. "I'm going to the school of life", he replies. Some people might not be happy working in a coffee shop, but Jonathan is a people person who makes the best out of any situation. He tells me, "If you're happy, then you're successful". What makes Jonathan so positive and full of life are the experiences he’s been through in his life and the people he’s known. He isn’t afraid to follow his dreams, which is quite an inspiration.
We eventually diverge from the topic of puppeteering and the company. I talk a little bit about my summer job because it involved some puppeteering at my summer camp, and he ends up making a joke about bowel movements, which doesn’t surprise me. He gets a lot of his sense of humor from his late brother Michael, whom he describes as having no filter. "If he wanted to say fuck you, he'd say fuck you. He didn't care", he says about Michael, who had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, (DMD), a disease caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin, which helps keep muscle cells intact. DMD will eventually weaken all voluntary muscles, including some involuntary muscles such as heart and breathing muscles, and survival is rare beyond age thirty. “I think I got a really good perspective on how short life can be…I knew from my youngest years that people were dying around us… so I got that perspective on how short life can be and how precious it is” He shifts his position in his chair. “We were pretty tight". He says it gave him a great perspective on how short life is, he always knew people were dying, and learned that life is precious. "You never knew what was going to happen next", he says about his life with Michael. He goes on to say, "At family functions, I was like a ghost". He may have gotten less attention from the family, but he never let it be an issue because his parents raised him maturely. I ask how Michael’s disease affected Jonathan’s childhood. He says, "I didn't get to do all the normal kid stuff, that's for sure". He talks about how going to MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) events were normal weekend activities. He tells me about his memories of riding on the back of Michael’s wheelchair on his skateboard, and it’s clear they weren’t only brothers, but best friends. “There was definitely days where I would just sit down with my brother and hang and we would just draw and talk, and I think that led to a lot of my creativity because we were always drawing characters and coming up with super heroes and monsters and lots of them became puppets I’ve built” He tells me they bonded over their love of comic books, and that love made him wan to draw comic books in the first place, which of course led to puppeteering. "We would sit down and just draw and talk", he says about time spent with Michael. Jon and Michael were in high school for one year together before Michael graduated. Jon says Michael was popular and had a lot of friends; no one ever treated him differently on purpose. "I was this dork, you know. I was not cool", he says about himself.
After his death, "It really sunk in how short life is". He says he realized at that point that you might never do something, and he heard Michael’s voice in his head telling him that if he wanted to work with puppets, to just do it. "If I don't do it now, when will I?” he asks me rhetorically. He says Michael taught him to keep going, as well as the importance of connecting with people and making them laugh. His voice sounds confident and collected, yet nostalgic and caring. After the death he says his parents projected what they wanted from Michael onto him, making him pay rent for example. Jon says he grew up quickly, but he’s grateful for that. He’s always known how to take care of himself. He speaks of his mother and how she reacted after Michael’s death, "She blamed herself. You can't blame yourself, but she did", he tells me. He later says she began to smoke herself to death after Michael passed, giving a perspective on how people deal with loss differently, and how strong of a person Jonathan really is. "There's nothing wrong with moving on, just never forgetting", he says. When asked about what advice Jonathan would give to someone with a family member who has muscular dystrophy, he says “Just be patient, and enjoy every second really. Life is too short, so just have fun. Don’t let it get under your skin while the person is around. When they’re gone then be angry about it if you want to, but don’t be angry in front of them, it’s not worth it.” that they should be patient and enjoy every moment they can. He says it’s a hard thing to have to go through, but life is too short, so you should have fun while you can. It’s not worth it to be angry.
I ask Jon if he has any last parting words for our interview, he blatantly says, “No, I can’t think of anything”. I say to him “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll?”.” He laughs and says, "Yeah! Just sex and rock and roll, I'm too old for drugs, I’ll leave that to the young guys”. He’s never been afraid to make fun of himself; he doesn’t take life that seriously, because he knows it’s too short to not have fun.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
ANOTHER WEDDING!?!?!
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Gabe Gets A Girl....
Oh, sorry...
He did it the old fashioned way! He actually went on dates and stuff!!!
Their wedding day!
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Who Wants A Free Puppet?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
The Holidays are just around the corner!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
WOW!!!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!
5 Years ago today this blog opened!
For those who were there...
Thanks for sticking with us this long!
And for those who came on along the way we thank you too!
Here's to 5 more... and more... and more...
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Poetry Corner with Johnnie Sojive!
Come See Johnnie in Person!
Tomorrow Nite at The Hearthstone Pub in Plantsville CT on West Main Street
More info here -
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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!
