Chowchilla native Robert J. Thissen has gotten some "Exposure." His eight-minute movie is one of nine finalists in the "Exposure Film Contest" conducted by the Sci Fi Channel in conjunction with the Sundance Channel.
"Just getting this far definitely puts me on the map," Thissen says. "I have already started to be noticed by people in Hollywood." The contest asked for two- to eight-minute sci-fi, horror or fantasy shorts.
A committee representing the two channels reviewed the submissions. The best films were posted weekly from Oct. 23 to Dec.
1. Fans voted for each week's winner. Thissen's short film, "Paradox Road," won the fifth week of voting.
The film he entered was a shortened version of a one-hour film Thissen had made last year. He was trying to sell the story as a television series. The local filmmaker was almost a one-man show as he wrote, edited, directed, operated the cameras and created the special effects.
He also wrote all of the music. "I shot 'Paradox Road' in the Valley," Thissen says of the filming that ended in October 2005. "I used locations in Fresno and Madera County.
I use all local actors, some from [Fresno Mayor] Alan Autry's acting class. My sister, Annette Doucet, who also went to Fresno State, worked on the movie with me." Thissen describes "Paradox Road" as the story of a detective who helps a former police officer find his abducted child.
The film is a "human drama characterized with supernatural elements that takes audiences through a journey of the unknown." All nine finalists will be featured in an on-air special to be broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel in January. Voting will then open at and channel.
com/exposure. The winner gets a trip to New York to pitch a project to the Sci Fi Channel's Pictures Group. Thissen studied communications at California State University, Fresno, from 1992 to 1997.
During that time, he also was the drum major and a trumpet player for the Bulldog Marching Band. He moved to Burbank and started working on crews for a variety of independent films. Thissen also has worked as a camera operator at concerts for the likes of Carlos Santana and Jeff Foxworthy.
Thissen always has been a fan of science fiction. That's why the Chowchilla Union High School graduate decided to blend an old-fashioned story with the fantasy genre. "I feel like this contest is a big break.
I also think that the contest will help put a spotlight on all of the local filmmakers," Thissen says. The final paychecks bounced for six former employees of KWYE, FM 101.1, who lost their jobs when the radio station changed formats Dec.
13. New station owner Peak Broadcasting says the error is because of the recent ownership change and the problem is being fixed. Here's what happened.
Peak Broadcasting bought the station in November. Todd Lawley, Peak Broadcasting chief executive officer, explains that the problem had to do with the temporary checks issued to the company. The checks had an extra digit, which caused the banking problem and the checks to bounce.
Lawley says the former employees will be immediately reimbursed. The company also will cover any fees incurred by the former employees if they had any personal checks bounce because of the problem. Taking a break: Rachel Bartel has provided news and traffic reports on KJWL, FM 99.
3, for more than two years. She is leaving radio to spend more time on a new project. "I am going to be a mom.
We are expecting our first baby in early January," Bartel says during an interview Friday, her last day at the local radio station. "'I guess we are a little old-fashioned. I am going to stay at home.
" Bartel and Jon Bartel, who works for the city of Fresno, have been married for 7 1/2 years. This is their first child. The Fresno native completed a degree in mass communication and journalism at Fresno State while working at KJWL.
The early morning radio shift worked perfectly with her class schedule. As for leaving KJWL, Bartel says "it has been a heckuva ride." Hunters needed: The World Hunting Association is looking for contestants for a new reality television show.
The winners, one male and one female, get a one-year Pro Staff contract with the association and a spot on a reality hunting television show. Go to to enter. You will need a video clip of less than five minutes saying why you should be on the show, a 1,000-word article on the future of the hunting industry, a 300-word hunting tip and up to 10 photos of yourself with your best game trophies.
Entries are due by Jan. 1. Your city and you can be a star: Fans of The CW network series "One Tree Hill" have through Jan.
7 to submit 30-second videos of themselves explaining why their city would make the perfect backdrop for an upcoming episode of the series. The videos can be submitted to . The cast and crew of "One Tree Hill" will travel in February to the winner's hometown to film the episode.
That show will air during the current season. The winner also gets a guest appearance in the episode.
News RSS