Exposing Muybridge

Exposing Muybridge is the first feature film to bring to life the fantastical story of the trailblazing 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge—born Edward James Muggeridge in 1830 in England. Muybridge set sail for the United States at age 20, where he eventually settled in San Francisco and changed his name, beginning work as a photographer under the pseudonym Helios. Throughout his career, Muybridge built a catalog of the West, roaming widely and serving the expansionist agenda of his powerful patrons, including the U.S. government, railroad companies, and more.

Muybridge’s most monumental contribution to the art of photography was his capturing of motion pictures, which he would showcase in public lectures. These moving picture sequences became the first moving picture shows based on live action photography, a major step toward the invention of cinema. In 1887, Muybridge published Animal Locomotion, 781 plates of animals and people photographed in all manner of movement. At the time of his death in 1904, Muybridge’s contributions had been overshadowed by the very genre he helped inspire: cinema. His works have since been rediscovered and his influence is more profound than ever.

Exposing Muybridge has received praise from various news outlets including The New York Times and The Guardian.