Exposure (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Exposure is a short-film
oriented science-fiction
anthology series that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel
between the years of 2000 and 2002. The series showcased the short sci-fi films of both unknown and known (Tim Burton
, George Lucas
and Kevin Smith
) filmmakers, giving rise to the channel's own Exposure Studios. Hosted by actress Lisa Marie
, the films presented a wide range of science fiction
subject matter. The series received poor ratings and was canceled in the fall of 2002. The series was originally shown on Sundays at 10:00pm EST
and was repeated the following Saturday at 2:00am EST, later on the time was changed to 11:00pm EST and still repeated the following Saturday well after Midnight, which probably is a major reason for the poor ratings this show received. The series also had two guest hosts. Terry Farrell
(Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
) would host the "Best of Season One" episode and director Kevin Smith hosted the "Star Wars Short Films Showcase".
The Sci-Fi Channel had also struck a deal with AtomFilms which gave them the broadcast rights of any of Atom Films
' new science-fiction acquisitions, as well as all science fiction film
s currently in their library, for Exposure.
Some of the rare films that were aired on the series include Tim Burton
's Disney short film of Frankenweenie (which Disney decided not to release because they deemed it too scary for children) and George Lucas
's original student film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB which was a basis for his 1971
cult sci-fi film
THX 1138
. Other notable works that were aired include The Forbidden by Clive Barker
, Groping by Alex Proyas
, More
by Mark Osbourne, George Lucas in Love
by Joseph Nussbaum, Battle of the Sexes by Eric Kripke
, Season's Greetings by Michael Dougherty
, Silent Number by Jamie Blanks
, To Build a Better Mousetrap by Christopher Leone
, Suspicious by David Koepp
, Oink by Rand Ravich, Tripping the Rift
by Chris Moeller, Antebios by François Baranger, Herd by Mike Mitchell
and Evil Hill by Ryan Schifrin.
to serve as a springboard for promising amateur and semi-professional filmmakers. Exposure Studios was focused primarily on funding, mentoring and promoting young directors, commissioning them to create mini television pilots. Among the short films it produced were: The Man with No Eyes, Dream Hackers, Area 52 and Grasp. Wes Craven
served as a mentor on the project.
in August 2000. Though this has not been done again, the Sci-Fi channel still fosters a love of short film and has cashiered the works of interested filmmakers under the Exposure brand. In late October 2006 the Sci-Fi Channel
in partnership with the Sundance Channel launched the Exposure Film Contest which ran for 8 weeks. The films were showcased on the SciFi Pulse broadband streaming applet of SciFi.com and viewers were permitted to vote on their favorites each week. The favorites of each week would then go on to the final choice selection with a results being posted on a primetime special that aired May 23, 2007. The winner was Paradox Road by Robert J. Thissen. Whether this contest will be repeated next year is unknown at this time.
The series did receive a following in the science fiction/media fandom community. Many complained about the late night Sunday schedule the show was aired and asked the network to air it much earlier in the evening. Apparently, SFC management failed to hear the viewers concerns.
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
oriented science-fiction
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
anthology series that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
between the years of 2000 and 2002. The series showcased the short sci-fi films of both unknown and known (Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
) filmmakers, giving rise to the channel's own Exposure Studios. Hosted by actress Lisa Marie
Lisa Marie
Lisa Marie Smith is an American model and actress, who uses simply Lisa Marie as her professional name.-Early life:...
, the films presented a wide range of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
subject matter. The series received poor ratings and was canceled in the fall of 2002. The series was originally shown on Sundays at 10:00pm EST
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
and was repeated the following Saturday at 2:00am EST, later on the time was changed to 11:00pm EST and still repeated the following Saturday well after Midnight, which probably is a major reason for the poor ratings this show received. The series also had two guest hosts. Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell (actress)
Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:...
(Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
) would host the "Best of Season One" episode and director Kevin Smith hosted the "Star Wars Short Films Showcase".
The Sci-Fi Channel had also struck a deal with AtomFilms which gave them the broadcast rights of any of Atom Films
Atom Films
Atom.com is a broadband entertainment network offering original short subject films, animations, and series by independent creators...
' new science-fiction acquisitions, as well as all science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
s currently in their library, for Exposure.
Notable films aired
For a complete list of films, see List of Exposure filmsSome of the rare films that were aired on the series include Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's Disney short film of Frankenweenie (which Disney decided not to release because they deemed it too scary for children) and George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
's original student film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB which was a basis for his 1971
1971 in film
The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
cult sci-fi film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
. Other notable works that were aired include The Forbidden by Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, Groping by Alex Proyas
Alex Proyas
Alexander "Alex" Proyas is a Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing such films as The Crow, Dark City, I, Robot and Knowing. He is known for employing a stylish photographic techniques in his films, with dark overtones usually in a post-apocalyptic...
, More
More (short)
More is a 1998 short film created by Mark Osborne using stop motion animation. More has won several awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Animated Short Film in 1998.- Plot :...
by Mark Osbourne, George Lucas in Love
George Lucas in Love
George Lucas in Love is an independent, live action, parodical short film that started attracting notice in June 1999 when it was passed around Hollywood offices as a filmmaker's "calling card"...
by Joseph Nussbaum, Battle of the Sexes by Eric Kripke
Eric Kripke
Eric Kripke is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating the television series Supernatural.-Biography:...
, Season's Greetings by Michael Dougherty
Michael Dougherty
Michael Dougherty is a screenwriter who is known for his work with Dan Harris on the scripts for Bryan Singer's films X2 and Superman Returns.-Early life:...
, Silent Number by Jamie Blanks
Jamie Blanks
Jamie Blanks is a film director and composer, he is probably most famous for directing the 1998 cult slasher film Urban Legend.- Biography :...
, To Build a Better Mousetrap by Christopher Leone
Christopher Leone
Christopher Leone is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker with a background in visual effects and CG animation.Leone co-wrote and co-executive produced The Lost Room, a mini-series for Syfy produced by Lionsgate Television, starring Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, and Kevin Pollak. The Lost Room was...
, Suspicious by David Koepp
David Koepp
-Career:As a writer, Koepp has worked on such blockbuster Hollywood films as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man. Koepp had a cameo as the "Unlucky Bastard" in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which he was serving as Writer and Second Unit Director.His work as a director has not had...
, Oink by Rand Ravich, Tripping the Rift
Tripping the Rift
Tripping the Rift is a CGI science fiction comedy television series. It is based on two short animations published on the Internet by Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen. The series was produced by CineGroupe in association with the Sci Fi Channel...
by Chris Moeller, Antebios by François Baranger, Herd by Mike Mitchell
Mike Mitchell (director)
Mike Mitchell is an American film director, producer, actor and former animator. He is well known for directing the films Surviving Christmas, Sky High and Shrek Forever After.-Life and career:...
and Evil Hill by Ryan Schifrin.
Exposure Studios
This offshoot of the "Exposure" program was created by the Sci Fi ChannelSyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
to serve as a springboard for promising amateur and semi-professional filmmakers. Exposure Studios was focused primarily on funding, mentoring and promoting young directors, commissioning them to create mini television pilots. Among the short films it produced were: The Man with No Eyes, Dream Hackers, Area 52 and Grasp. Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
served as a mentor on the project.
Legacy
Though it appears that there are no plans to bring Exposure back on the Sci-Fi Channel lineup the channel did sponsor a short film showcase called "Exposure:Future of Film Festival" in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in August 2000. Though this has not been done again, the Sci-Fi channel still fosters a love of short film and has cashiered the works of interested filmmakers under the Exposure brand. In late October 2006 the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in partnership with the Sundance Channel launched the Exposure Film Contest which ran for 8 weeks. The films were showcased on the SciFi Pulse broadband streaming applet of SciFi.com and viewers were permitted to vote on their favorites each week. The favorites of each week would then go on to the final choice selection with a results being posted on a primetime special that aired May 23, 2007. The winner was Paradox Road by Robert J. Thissen. Whether this contest will be repeated next year is unknown at this time.
The series did receive a following in the science fiction/media fandom community. Many complained about the late night Sunday schedule the show was aired and asked the network to air it much earlier in the evening. Apparently, SFC management failed to hear the viewers concerns.