"Expose Yourself to EXPOSURE"
(originally published on www.countgore.com)

There has been a lot of bemoaning and gnashing of teeth lately here and about The Count's Castle (Well, here on The Gallows...Well ok... by me) about the lack of quality horror-anthology and indi-film on television here in the fabulous future. 

For and from the undeniable record, you may recall one ugly incident of many when Your's Ghouly offered the equation ( paraphrased ) "Sci-Fi Channel Original Production = A Pile of Monkey Dung" . 

Let the dung be flung in your blind-eyed reviewer's direction this time. In a frenzied fury of painting the Sci-Fi Channel with a broad-brush -- and myself into a corner--(I never thought in a million years this gig would last more than a week!), I'm afraid I may have obscured the window to SFC's hidden jewel, EXPOSURE: The Future of Film. Buried deep in the SFC line-up, EXPOSURE deserves viewers. In case you haven't seen it, this is a showcase for indi film-makers in the vein of HBO's PROJECT GREEN LIGHT. 

Here however, the network does a good turn for more than just one young do-it-all, backing and lending technical expertise toward seeing several projects per season from storyboard to screen. The payoff would seem a sweet one for both network and director, and the audience gets a treat that we would normally have to pay to see at an art-theater or college screening room. 

We get the gamut of ideas and techniques in the sci-fi/horror/fantasy genres; dark psycho-drama to twisted comedy, live action to animation, and all points in between. This is the kind of encouragement of creativity that tv is sorely missing, and it is a very encouraging sign to see SFC taking a risk (for a change) on a wild-card -- even if they have shuffled it fairly deeply into their schedule. 

Besides just showing us the quality finished-products, Exposure also takes us behind the scenes of each mini-movie and into the minds of the individuals who envisioned them. This is an engrossing device in itself, as the viewer is drawn into the making of each vignette, and drawn to root for these upcoming artists as they struggle against the inevitable obstacles that Murphy promised us all. 

To watch a well-crafted film is a joy, but to understand the sweat-equity and just plain heart invested into a project adds a whole new dimension. We get to watch the wheels turn behind the eyes of directors who could have the blockbuster of the next generation brewing in there, and see the production process through their eyes as well. Sci-Fi hasn't been shy about allowing these directors to say ANYTHING they want about the making of their installment, even if their comments include biting comments about the hand that feeds them. 

Here's to Sci-Fi and the producers of Exposure for showing the thick-skin and the infinite patience it takes to bring excellent tv to the masses, and for showing us a glimpse of the very real work it takes. I could prattle on forever talking about my favorite episodes of this masterpiece of a showcase, but rather than bore ya with personal opinion that can't come close to describing how cool this show is, let me steer you toward the complete listing of films complete with bios and airdates at www.scifi.com . 

Hope no one is TOO disappointed by the somewhat non-maniacal slant to this week's rant. I'll work on finding something really horrible and stinky to fling around by the tail next time. 

'Til next we meet or the rope snaps taut... 

Beware the monkey dung ! Your ol' pal,

Ghastlee