Angelwood Pictures is an award-winning New England production company that has produced a total of twenty-two web series and films. It is the recipient of twenty LA Web Series Festival Awards, eight Motif Theater & Film nominations, and other festival award nominations. It has produced a total of 200+ web episodes throughout its nine web series. Series include: Testing: The Series, Family Problems, Lungs, In the Bedroom, The Girl in the Attic, World's Worst Director, and Red Circles. It has also produced films, such as The Love Triangle and Testing: Unit 4.
THE HISTORY
Angelwood Pictures is a company that originally produced student-organized films and series. In 2009, Angelwood Pictures was founded by Seth Chitwood and Jordan Angelo while producing the web series, The Dreamer. Originally, the mission of the production company was to invite students to participate in the experience of working either in front of the camera on a film.
Angelwood Pictures films all year long and mostly for the experience of creating and producing projects that will then be hosted on the web. The production company is all volunteer work. It gives a vast amount of work and participation for anyone in the New England area, having hired over 350 actors in the past decade.
THE OBJECTIVE
The objective of Angelwood Pictures is to produce professional projects for the main purpose of the experience. It gives cast and crew members several opportunities to grow. The company focuses less on making a profit, and more about giving anyone interested opportunities to work.
THE ORIGIN
2010 - 2013
In 2010, Angelwood Pictures produced its first film titled THEM. It was the first professional production featuring adults. In December, the short film Losing Grip by co-creator Jordan Angelo was also released.
In 2011, the co-creator of Angelwood Pictures, Seth Chitwood, created a web series called Red Circles. The series cast forty actors of all different ages to participate in the filming. The series won five 2012 LA Web Fest Awards for Best Drama Series, Best Writing, Ensemble, Cinematography, and Theme Song. It also won three 2013 LA Web Fest Awards: Best Drama Series, Best Directing, and Best Lead Actress (Corey Arruda). The series ended after three seasons.
In 2012, Seth Chitwood created a series loosely based on his life called World's Worst Director; it was an official selection of the 2013 LA Web Fest. The series ran for two seasons and ended in 2014. Angelwood Pictures also released its short film The Women of Harry starring Kevin Del Signore.
In 2013, Chitwood premiered his fourth web series, Family Problems; it is a murder mystery that takes place in thee different time periods: 1995, 2012, and 2044. The series won a total of ten LA Web Series Fest Awards. It has also been nominated for seven 2017 LA Web Series Fest Awards. In 2016, the series ended after five seasons and seventy episodes.
In December 2013, Chitwood premiered another new web series called Lungs. The series was shot almost completely outdoors all over Connecticut and Rhode Island. The story followed Grace, a woman suffering from depression who walks a 187-mile trail to help cope with her problems. In 2015, the series ended after four seasons and forty-five episodes. It's also the recipient of five LA Web Fest Awards including Best Drama Series, Best Writing, Best Supporting Actress (Ellen Levenson), and Best Supporting Actress (Kimberley Miller).
THE COLLABORATIONS
2014 - 2016
In 2014, Angelwood Pictures premiered a collaborative web series called In the Bedroom. The thirteen-episode series featured two different actors in each episode, dealing with conflicts within a bedroom setting. Each episode was written and directed by a different New England filmmaker.
In 2015, Angelwood Pictures had a Valentine's Day premiere for its short film The Love Triangle. It starred Wendy Hartman, Sean McPherson, and JP Valenti.
In the winter of 2015, Angelwood Pictures started production for its first feature film The Resurrection of Victoria Wheeler. The film tells the story of a family trying to find their missing son and is aided by his father's dead first wife. Now a mini horror/drama web series, it is currently in post-production.
On December 5, 2015, Angelwood Pictures hosted its first award ceremony called the Angel Awards. The event nominated and awarded actors for their performances in an Angelwood Pictures production in that past year. The 2nd Annual Angel Awards took place on June 3, 2017.
CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
2016 - 2022
In the summer of 2016, Angelwood Pictures joined forces with Beantown Statie Production Company and CPG-CP Group Training & Security to produce the film series Code 13: Unreadable. It’s a mockumentary featuring following a team of state troopers referred to as the "Dream Team." Filming was completed in August 2016 and Beantown Statie Production Company is overseeing all post-production and distribution plans for this project.
In October 2016, Angelwood Pictures and Beantown Statie Production Company released the mystery horror web series Testing: The Series. The third season aired its midseason finale on July 8, 2018. The remaining episodes have been scheduled to premiere in February of 2022.
Angelwood Pictures produced (along with associate producer Charlie Alejandro) a sixteen-episode drama series called The Girl in the Attic. The season finale aired on July 22, 2018. This was the eighth web series produced by Angelwood Pictures. The series has received several nominations and awards.
In August 2017, Angelwood Pictures collaborated with Shoot the Moon Films to produce the web series, EYES. The story is about a detective with Alzheimer’s disease who — right when the suspect is about to be executed — has second thoughts about a case she worked on two decades earlier.
In August 2018, Angelwood Pictures decided to freeze all post-production when the creative director took a leave of absence to attend the American Film Institute Conservatory for Screenwriting. Post-production resumed in June 2019 with the release of additional episodes of the currently-running show, Testing: The Series, as well as to shoot the two short films, OUT: A Short Film and For the Views.
Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, several release dates were delayed or postponed - most notably the final season of Testing: The Series, which was still filming its final two episodes. After more than a three-year delay, it is slated to premiere in Fall 2022.
In August 2020, Angelwood Pictures ordered a seven-episode mini web series called Luna, The Witch. In November 2020, all seven episodes of Season One premiered on Amazon Prime Video. This marks the first Angelwood Pictures series to be available on Prime.
On December 30, 2020, Angelwood Pictures surprised everyone by ending the year with releasing all five episodes of the long-awaited horror web series, The Resurrection of Victoria Wheeler.
In February 2021, Angelwood Pictures completed its goal of producing four student-produced short films. They were all directed and written by filmmaker Haley Pine (NYU '23) as well as students Brendan Egan and Charlie Norton (Hofstra '22). The short films included: Desperate, Anything Helps! (completed: April 13, 2018), Harper's First Kiss (completed: November 24, 2018), The Little Star (completed: December 16, 2020), and A Special Dinner (completed: February 14, 2021). All of the short films had much success in the festival circuit.
In March 2021, Angelwood Pictures announced plans to produce a second season of Luna, The Witch. The series was filmed in June 2021, and premiered the first two episodes on December 21, 2021. The remaining four episodes of Season Two will premiere in July 2022 on Amazon Prime.
In January 2022, Angelwood Pictures released the short, For The Views, starring Charlie Tacker and Luke Ryan, to limited audiences. After it finishes post-production, it will begin the festival circuit, specifically ones geared for children.
In March 2022, Angelwood Pictures ended an agreement with Vimeo on Demand, resulting in its series The Girl in the Attic and Testing (Seasons 1-3) becoming unavailable to the public. The plan is to re-release these titles on another platform by Fall 2022.
On April 22, 2022, Angelwood Pictures released the LGBTQ+ film, OUT: a short film; it's currently on the festival circuit. It's a "true-ish" story about a young man finding the confidence to come out to his parents. It stars Zach Kelley and Ashton Harris.
On May 1, 2022, Angelwood Pictures premiered the nine-episode dramatic mini-series, EYES, on Amazon Prime.
As of June 1, 2022, Angelwood Pictures is currently working on the final season of Testing: The Series. There are no other projects in development at this time.