Dances With Walls : Decorative Artist James E. Todd : Movies, Scenic Work

Scenic Work
From the San Francisco Area to Cleveland

James Todd has painted scenery on more than 20 movies, in the greater San Francisco
Bay Area and also in Cleveland. Unfortunately, James didn't take too many photos of his work. For a complete list of all the movies James has worked on, see the Resume page.

To see a larger version of any picture, just click on the photo.

James and the Giant Peach

The giant peach was made of foam and carved, then spray painted. The hole the character James went into was big enough for a small person to crawl into.

As one of the very few sign painters in the union, Jim was called upon to do these signs, among many other duties on this movie. It was very difficult, he says, to paint the signs as an amateur.

Jim carved the bricks for the fireplace and the wooden beams, in young James' attic room, out of foam blocks, then painted them.

Jim carved and painted the stones outside the house, plus painted and aged the house.

Jim painting the peach.

The Joy Luck Club

Jim was the lead scenic painter on this movie.
This set was the grandmother's house in China.

I Married an Axe Murderer

Looking very lived-in.

Being Human

A tenement hallway -- the grunge is all painted.

Looks like a ship's hold, but all of it is done with plaster and paint.

Down Periscope

Believe it or not, this submarine was immaculate --
before Jim painted it to look rusty, battered
and old.

Close-up of stingray logo James painted (below).

The Oh in Ohio

This independent movie was shot in Cleveland by first-time director Billy Kent. It stars Parker Posey, Paul Rudd and Mischa Barton and aired at independent film festivals. Jim was lead scenic on this one.

Theater Scenery

James and Ruth Lohse painted these sets for "Carmen" for the
San Jose-Cleveland Ballet.

Below are sets he painted for "Twelve Angry Men" at the
Cleveland Playhouse.

James painted this backdrop for the Claypipers Melodrama Theater group, who performed in the California Gold Rush area of the Sierra foothills. He was the set painter for about 15 years.

A backdrop of the Sierra foothills for another Claypipers melodrama show.
This group was the longest continuously running melodrama theater group in the U.S.

"Lolita's Saloon" -- another set for a Claypipers show, complete with a lounging nude painting.

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Testimonials

(440) 891-9044

E-mail: JamesTodd@danceswithwalls.com