Putting together a TV series is no easy thing, and senior Jessica Janiuk knows it.

Janiuk produced the first TV10 miniseries last year and is currently producing the miniseries “The Heist.”

“The Heist” premiered on the TV10 show “Expose Yourself” Wednesday and was also shown in Davies Center by the Service Center, Janiuk said. The miniseries is completely created, directed and acted by UW-Eau Claire students.

The plot of the series revolves around two teams of people that are in competition against each other for the same heist, Janiuk said. One team is good, and the other isn’t as talented. The other characters on the show include FBI agents.

Sophomore Chris Baylor, an actor in the miniseries, said “The Heist” is a lot different from last year’s “Almost One.”
“Last year was the test to see if we could do this, and it succeeded greatly,” he said. “So now that we (know) we can do it, we can be more structured.”

The concept of the miniseries, the background of the characters and the casting all took place during fall semester, Janiuk said. Shooting began during spring semester.

Janiuk said 10 actors, six writers, six music arrangers and four or five other students on call as extras are involved in the series. But each student doesn’t just stick to his or her assigned role.

“People use whatever talents they have to make it happen,” she said.

A different person directs the miniseries each week, Baylor said.

Baylor said he has acted and edited before and will be directing a future episode. Sophomore Dani Becker said she has acted and made posters to advertise the miniseries. Becker plays the role of Iris in “The Heist.”
Baylor and Becker both became involved in the miniseries through their jobs at TV10. But one doesn’t need to be involved with TV10 to be involved with the miniseries, Becker said.

The episodes are usually shot on Saturday. Janiuk said it usually takes almost the whole day to shoot enough film for an entire episode. Some of the filming is done on campus, but the majority of it is shot around the Eau Claire area.

Becker said the crew has been to all sorts of locations around Eau Claire, including some mansions and hotels.

“Basically, all day we’re moving from place to place trying to get all the shots in,” she said.

Becker and Baylor said that there have been a few technical problems during the shoots. The crew has had lighting problems because of scenes set at night, Becker said. The cold weather has also been a problem for both the actors and the camera equipment.

Once the film is shot, Janiuk said, it takes hours of editing to put together an episode. The editing is usually done during the week.

Janiuk said she hopes the miniseries will become an annual event. She said TV10 has asked Housing and Residence Life to create a miniseries producer position next year. The producer would plan the series and be in charge of production.

Janiuk said the show will be shown on TV10 on Wednesdays or can be viewed at www.television10.net.