Apr-18-2000
The X-Files Magazine [US, #14, Summer 2000]
The Next Files

[Typed by Gayle]

You have to hand it to Frank Spotnitz. No matter how busy he is, The X-Files executive producer always makes time to answer our questions. And right now, in the midst of wrapping up the show for the year, putting together the Lone Gunmen spinoff and juggling many more new projects at Ten Thirteen Productions, you can bet he’s pretty busy.

The X-Files Official Magazine: You described Season Seven as “the year of the actor.” How did David Duchovny’s new episode and Gillian Anderson and William B. Davis’ first episodes take shape?

Spotnitz: David’s getting to be an old hand at this. This is the second one he’s written by himself. He co-wrote “The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati,” and he contributed story ideas in previous seasons. He’s the veteran. Gillian came to Chris early in the season with an idea that she’s worked on very, very hard. I think it’s going to be exceptional and unlike anything we’ve done before. Bill Davis, we talked about his idea for months and months before we finally hit upon just the right way to approach it. He went off and started writing and then we went through the revisions process, like any other writer. What I really liked about it [was the pairing of Scully with the CSM] because the truth is you haven’t seen much of those characters together at all. When you think back on the mythology of the show, there are obvious connections to draw between those two characters. I thought it was a really interesting idea.

The X-Files Official Magazine: How did you manage to schedule the episodes to allow the actors enough time to prepare for their behind-the-camera duties?

Spotnitz: For their own separate reasons, it turned out that David and Gillian’s episodes needed to be shot in the order that they were, but it really works out perfectly. David is light in Gillian’s episode, so he can be prepping his directorial effort while that is shooting. Everything just fell into place. We had to be very clever in the way the script preceding Gillian’s was written. She had to be very light in that to make time for her to prep her directing. That story works out very nicely because Scully comes in by telephone. It really is a Mulder case.

The X-Files Official Magazine: Can you reveal anything about the finale?

Spotnitz: Of course not. [Laughs]. What I would say is that Chris has always had in his mind what the end of the mythology is. I think you will see important ideas about the relationship between Mulder and Scully, what they mean to each other, and about what the catch phrase of the series, “The Truth is Out There,” means. Beyond that, I would be as vague as I always am about these things.

The X-Files Official Magazine: Will any characters die?

Spotnitz: I wouldn’t be surprised.

The X-Files Official Magazine: What other developments are in the works at Ten Thirteen?

Spotnitz: There are a number of movies I can only hint about because none of them are definite yet. There are a lot of things going on actually, it’s just which one of these horses will exit the gate. We’re preparing ourselves for life after The X-Files, whether that’s the end of this year or the end of next year. The movie development process being what it is you need to start thinking about it early because it takes a long time for things to become reality. We’re as busy as we’ve ever been in that respect. There are so many ideas floating around.

Apr-09-2000
FilmScoreMonthly
Downbeat: Harsh Realm
Jason Foster

[Original article here]

Jason originally wrote the following for use in "Downbeat," our section in FSM dealing with current scores and the challenges featuring well-known (and some not well-known) composers. He talked to Mark Snow about Harsh Realm -- which was canceled before anyone could blink. So, we didn't run the piece. Recently, however, Harsh Realm has been broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel so we thought we'd dust this off: -LK

Having already cemented their place in TV shows dealing with the paranormal, ten-time Emmy-nominated composer Mark Snow and X-FILES creator Chris Carter are at it again — this time with the series HARSH REALM.

Described as a tense and edgy contemporary-looking virtual reality adventure along the lines of THE MATRIX, Snow says that HARSH REALM should easily lend itself to music, much in the way THE X-FILES has.

“THE X-FILES is such a great show. It’s like scoring a mini-movie each week,” says Snow. “And coming from the same people, HARSH REALM, from what I’ve seen of the pilot, I expect the same quality which makes scoring the shows much more inspiring and a pleasure rather than just work.”

While Snow’s weekly scores for episodes of THE X-FILES have tended to stay in a similar musical ballpark throughout the entire series run, he says that won’t be the case with HARSH REALM.

“I think that it will be a combination of many, many different styles because the show is virtual reality at least 80 to 90 percent of the time,” says Snow. “I think they’re planning to have many different virtual worlds from periods dating back to the Dark Ages, futuresque, and all over the world. It’s going to be wide open to a lot of different cultures and we’ll be using a lot of different musical styles.”

Snow has enjoyed the musical freedom he’s been given in his previous collaborations with Carter and crew. But he points out that with a successful show, freedom isn’t all that rare an occurrence.

“Well, once you get on a TV series that’s successful, basically it’s the first ten episodes where everyone is involved and giving a lot of input into the project,” he says. “Then if they’re happy and feel comfortable, they leave you alone and then you have the freedom to experiment. My experience with X-FILES has been just that. After the first bunch of episodes, I was left to my own devices and felt totally uninhibited by whatever I wanted.”

Much like the music for THE X-FILES, and most television scoring in general, Snow will not develop different character themes for HARSH REALM. While that isn’t something that would be very difficult to do, Snow says it would be very limiting.

“The TV show works better for me to have themes for situations rather than people,” he says. “I think that by now if you had a theme for Mulder or Scully you’d grow sick of it. That’s why it’s not about themes for them as much as it is the situations they get in to. Each week the situations are, as you know, colored so differently and there are so many variations of the themes — so to keep my interest in it and to keep it sounding fresh, I prefer to score new thematic material every week and I think that’s how it’s going to work for HARSH REALM.”

One of the trademarks of THE X-FILES is Snow’s very memorable main title melody. But unlike his scores for that show, Snow says he’ll incorporate the HARSH REALM main title theme into the different episode scores.

“I’ll be able to use the theme as underscore a lot more than with X-FILES and certainly variations of it,” he says. “I also have a four-minute version of it where I’ll be able to take sections of it and use for underscore which will help the identity of the show. I’m looking forward to that. With THE X-FILES, I never used it (the main title) in the underscore. I did use the theme for the feature film, and come to think of it, I did use it a few times after the film because I liked how it sounded. I’m looking forward to having a different approach for HARSH REALM.”

While Snow says that nobody involved predicted the success of THE X-FILES, he says the ingredients are there for HARSH REALM to be successful, but says there’s really no way to know that.

“I can only do the best work I can, cross my fingers and hope that it will be another hit show,” he says.

Snow has also chosen to shed a little light onto the recent rumor that the name of FSM’s own Jeff Bond appears somewhere in the HARSH REALM main title.

“I’m not going to say it is or isn’t,” says Snow. “People are welcome to try and speed up, slow down, or play the music backwards to discover what’s there. It’s kind of like the 60s when people played that Beatles song backwards to try to hear it say, ‘Paul is Dead.'”

The truth is out there.

Apr-07-2000
AOL chat with Gillian Anderson

TVGLive3: Joining us right now is Gillian Anderson. Thanks for coming to chat.

TVG Gillian: Hey, everybody! I’m here. Thanks for waiting…

Question: What motivated you to write and direct an X-Files episode? Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve?

TVG Gillian: I had been asked recently if I would ever consider writing one, and I initially thought that I might attempt to write something with one of the other writers. Then I was asked if I ever had an idea myself, and I described something that was more of a couple of images. And the motivation for the episode was based on those images. So someone asked if I wanted to write one. So, I sat down one evening and wrote the entire outline for episode. And I think that it majoritivily what I had envisioned. There are certain areas where you have to let go… and let go. 🙂 There are certain pieces of dialogue which had to be taken out for timing purposes. But I think it still makes sense.

Question: Did you write the entire outline of the script in one sitting, or was it gradually developed over the course of the year?

TVG Gillian: I wrote the outline in one sitting. And then I wrote the script, the first three acts, over about five months. Then continued to tweak it until we started shooting.

Question: where did the inspiration for your episode’s story came from? luv you!

TVG Gillian: Just from those two images I had. The rest came seemingly out of nowhere… LOL

Question: Gillian, Can you give us any background on “all things”? What’s your favorite part in the episode? –Agent Amy–

TVG Gillian: I think my favorite parts have to do more with camera work, with particular shots and transitions from one scene to another scene. I hesitate to speak too much about it… I feel like I’ve been describing it in interviews for the past couple of weeks, and I’m kind of at a point where I just want people to see and have their own reactions and responses to it.

Question: Did you ever write scripts while in school?

TVG Gillian: Never.

Question: what authors do you read? what kinds of books?

TVG Gillian: I think I’ve only actually read like two or three books over the past seven years…which makes me kinda sad. The last book that I read from start to finish is “She’s Come Undone” by Wally Lamb. Most of the time it’s difficult for me to allow myself the time to read. Between the episodes and other scripts, and the rest of my life, if I do read, it’s usually more spiritually minded books. And one of my favorites of those over this past year has been a book called “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron.

Question: Gillian, I am looking forward to Sunday’s episode. Did you like writing and directing? And also , what actors/actresses have been the biggest influence on you?

TVG Gillian: I did enjoy it very much. It was an incredible learning experience for me and an insight into how hard and complicated the task is for writers and directors. I feel like I learned so much in the whole process from beginning to end. I think influentially, let’s see, actors… Well, the usual response from female actors Meryl Streep, Kathy Bates. Kevin Spacey I love… Stephen Tucci. I love it when actors take it upon themselves to create material. I love what Sam Mendes has been doing. I love what Stanley Tucci has been doing. I think that Paul Thomas Anderson is very talented.

Question: After so many years of playing Scully, was it easier or harder than u thought to write for the character? LGW

TVG Gillian: Easier to write for the character. Scully has become so much a part of myself, and it was just second nature for me.

Question: Are you going to be watching the show with everyone else on Sunday?

TVG Gillian: I am. Some friends are throwing a little gathering for me and we’re all going to watch together.

Question: How long does it take for you to learn all those medical terms in the show. Seems like one can easily get tongue tied.

TVG Gillian: I guess I do kind of learn them… It kind of depends. I study the script the night before and show up at work and work on them throughout the day… continue going over them and over them. Working on getting my mouth around them.

Question: What did you think of William B. Davis’ script? Was it fun to work with someone who was obviously eager to work with you?

TVG Gillian: Yeah, it was. I thought it was good. It’s tricky… I’m not sure in the end how much of it was his. Our scripts are syphoned through Frank and Chris. Sometimes they let them be, sometimes they readjust them. But, I think it was good.

Question: Is the title of your episode based on the ee cummings poem?

TVG Gillian: No. It’s not. The title is close. It speaks to that which is innate in everything, and the unity of life energy and all of us and of all things.

Question: What is the first thing you are going to do after the X-Files wraps up shooting for the season?

TVG Gillian: I’m attempting to take the summer off, especially if we come back next season. I’m going to be doing some travelling… I hope. 🙂 Try and relax. Read a book. 🙂

Question: Do you have any pets??

TVG Gillian: Oh, yes… 🙂 We have a dog and two bunny rabbits, some coy fish and a horse.

Question: How did you decide on doing “The House of Mirth”? It is so different from your previous works. ~Karey

TVG Gillian: I’ve always wanted to do a period piece, and I loved the book and was in awe of Edith Worten, of her writing. I’d been a fan of Terrance Davies’ previous work, and it seemed like a good idea.

Question: Hi Gillian. Can you tell us if there is any validity to the rumors you may be in Episode 2 of Star Wars?

TVG Gillian: Not so far. I haven’t been approached. I would love to play a Jedi, but there is no validity as of yet. But, you’re welcome to push for it for me… LOL

Question: Was it difficult to direct an episode in which your character is so prominently featured or was that helpful to you?

TVG Gillian: It was not helpful AT ALL. It was a mistake… LOL It was difficult to split my focus in so many ways, and I hadn’t forethought that as much as I could have. It was also a challenge to stay present in a scene that I was in, and at the same time remain on the outside enough to give notes to the other actors as a director would.

Question: Have you given any thought about going back and doing stage work?

TVG Gillian: Very much. I was considering doing different pieces over the summer, and have been looking for the right project, and will eventually — probably either in New York or London.

Question: Wow! You go girl! You’re so talented..the first woman to write and direct an episode of The X-Files.

TVG Gillian: Thank you. 🙂

Question: Are we going to see a different side of Scully in this week’s episode?

TVG Gillian: Yes, we are. And I think it may shift things slightly for future episodes as well.

Question: At the NY xfiles expo two years ago, you said you would feel weird directing David Duchovny in an episode. When you actually did it, was it as strange as you thought?

TVG Gillian: It wasn’t THAT strange. I didn’t write him in very much of the episode so it wouldn’t be too strange. But he was very acquiescent.

Question: We’re all in love with Scully’s knee-length fitted black jacket! Can you tell me who the maker is?

TVG Gillian: She has a few, and I couldn’t tell you any of them. I think that Thari is one of them. The others… I couldn’t tell you.

Question: Do you plan on doing any more animation films; you did an excellent job in Princess Mononoke

TVG Gillian: Thank you, and I would love to. It would depend on the project.

Question: What is it like to know that you are the first women on XF to do this, I know what if feels like to be in a boys club, I played football my Sr. year of high school. I just wonder what it felt like to you?

TVG Gillian: I’ve been in the middle of a very powerful boys club for the past seven years, and have gotten used to it… as much as anyone can. I actually found everyone, especially the men, to be incredibly supportive, gentle and agreeable from the moment we started working on this together. And the crew was just phenomenal. And at no time did anyone ever roll their eyes… which was great. And they all did exactly what I said! LOL

Question: I would like to know what your dream role is–any character from any play or piece of literature that you could choose.

TVG Gillian: I have many. Many and none. I love some of the contemporary female roles that have been written in films. I loved all the characters in American Beauty and Shakespeare in Love and Magnolia. Historically, I’d love to do Lady MacBeth. I love to do Hedda Gabler. And eventually, I’d love to do Blanche.

Question: is most of this script your own words or did you conference a lot with Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter to get the right feel for the dialogue? I imagine that you wrote most of the dialogue since you know Scully so well.

TVG Gillian: I wrote most of it. And then the next step was to go through it with Frank and determine which order of scenes was most effective and what the right tone for each of the scenes. And then I went back and I rewrote, and we kept going through that process for a while. Brainstorming and me re-shifting. Then Chris stepped in and rewrote. Then, I went back and tried to get it back to my original idea… 🙂 Which worked. 🙂 A lot of it was a matter of lack of time I had after a certain point. So, once and a while there were short scenes that we would both write, then come together and hash out the best version. This was way at the end, when there were a couple of weaker scenes that needed some fixing. Then, Chris actually wrote the final scene, because we’d left it up to the last moment. And I was already in prep and didn’t have time.

Question: Gillian – Do you plan to do more projects involving writing and directing in the future? – Becca and Erin 😀

TVG Gillian: I would love to. I”m not sure what form that will take… whether it will be from scratch, or adapting a novel, or directing someone else else’s script. But, I would love to do more of it.

Question: Can you give us any hints as to whether or not this will be the last season? ~Mystic

TVG Gillian: If I knew… I’d give you a hint. 🙂

Question: Gillian, when you began directing all things, did you discover that you had learned alot from watching the Directors on your show for the past seven years? Heidi from Phoenix

TVG Gillian: Yes. I was very nervous that I didn’t know anything, until I started to work out my shot list and I realized that I knew a lot more than I thought I knew.

Question: Did you enjoy working with your sister on the episode Christmas Carol? ~ Melissa

TVG Gillian: Yeah… I did. 🙂 She just visited… actually they just left yesterday, and I was thinking about that. It was fun, and I think she did a great job. I think it was exciting for her at the time.

Question: What is your favorite Hobby?

TVG Gillian: I think the only hobby I have, and it’s one that I’ve started since January, is riding.

Question: What has been your favorite episode thus far this season?

TVG Gillian: That’s a good question. I’ve actually missed the last six episodes, and it’s the first time I’ve ever missed some. But, with the whole writing and editing and such, there just wasn’t time. In fact… I’m not sure I can remember what we shot this year…LOL

Question: Gillian, you’re the best!! Thanx for bringing one of my role models to life every week! I’m so glad you’re writing an episode..My question is when did you find the time to write?

TVG Gillian: I have no idea… 🙂 I wrote in between scenes in my trailer. I wrote a little bit on weekends, as much as I could. And as much over Christmas as I could.

Question: We will lobby Lucas for you! Gillian for Jedi! What type of music do you like?

TVG Gillian: I’ve been listening to a lot of soundtracks lately. I like the Magnolia soundtrack, and one for The Hurricane. And I’m listening to Annie Lennox’s new album. And Moby. In fact, I use one of his tracks in my episode. And Red Hot Chili Peppers. And this album called Ron Rocco…. guitar music. I like a lot of world music.

Question: In the show filmed like “cops”, was alot of that improv? It seemed that is was hard for you to keep a straight face at times (or was David trying to crack you up?). How much artistic license do they allow you?

TVG Gillian: I don’t think it was trying to keep a straight face or cracking up. It was just so intense and nothing like what we’d done before. And everything was reacting in the moment on a whole new level than what we’re used to that there may have been a feeling that we were flying by the seat of our pants. Because we were. 🙂

Question: Have you had the opportunity to work with real F.B.I. agents, as tech advisors for your show?

TVG Gillian: Technical advisors we work with when there’s specific medical procedures that we need to adhere to.

Question: to Gillian, Is there one material item that you can’t live without?

TVG Gillian: My daughter. I’d say she’s material… LOL

Question: Are you nervous about what the public’s reaction will be to your directing debut?

TVG Gillian: No. I made this episode for myself, for many reasons. To see if I could do it, and as a vehicle to express some philosophies that I believe in. I’ve done the work… and I’ve let it go.

Question: Can fans expect a second X-Files movie?

TVG Gillian: Most likely. Almost certainly.

Question: Would you say you are more skeptical or less skeptical than Scully at this point in the show?

TVG Gillian: I’ve always been much less skeptical.

Question: Did anyone pull any practical jokes on you during the filming of ‘”all things?”

TVG Gillian: No.

Question: When did you get your DGA card?

TVG Gillian: I’m qualified now. I applied for it as of this episode.

TVGLive3: Thanks for chatting with us tonight Gillian.

TVG Gillian: Thanks everybody for coming. I hope that you enjoy the show. I want to remind everyone that throughout the month of May on the Gillian Anderson website is an auction of X-Files memorabilia. The proceeds of which will go towards NF Inc. Thank you!

TVGLive3: You can catch Gillian’s directorial and writing debut this Sunday night at 9PM on Fox. Good night.

Apr-21-2000
University of California Santa Barbara: A Conversation with the Creator of the X-Files

[Unknown transcriber]

Last night I had the opportunity to attend Chris Carter’s lecture at UCSB. It was a great evening! He talked to us for a couple of minutes, then showed a clip reel from all 7 seasons of The X-Files. (Even a clip from David’s new episode, Hollywood AD) Then there was a discussion between he and some of the professors from the college. Afterwards the time was turned over to the audience for questions. I was about 4th or 5th in line and was able to speak to him. Let me just say that his answers are not much better than watching the show. He is cryptic and somehow managed to escape answering all questions that would give any sort of definitive answer. Very frustrating.

My question to Chris Carter was about Samantha. I had read that Chris had envisioned the outcome of her abduction somewhat differently than what actually happened on the show. His answer to me wasn’t really an answer. He told me that all the character’s evolve on the show. He doesn’t know exactly what will come of them and Samantha’s fate wasn’t too far off from what he had envisioned. I asked him what he had originally wanted to happen and somehow he got around having to answer it. Oh well, I was able to be one of the few to speak to him in front of an entire audience, it was a really awesome experience.

One of the people I was with got up and asked a question about “all things”. Okay, the question that was asked was concerning the events during the time between Scully falling asleep on the couch and getting dressed in the bathroom later that night (or early morning I should say).

Chris was hesitant to answer that question, but the crowd was anxiously awaiting an answer. Chris told us that the end of the episode might not make much sense now, but in future episodes the event will have much more meaning. We will understand what truly happened. In fact, he said that the scene will have great importance in the future. However, later on he commented about why he never let Mulder and Scully have a physical relationship. He said that people don’t really want it, and it was a sure way to ruin the show. People think they want it, but they really don’t. He also mentioned that when a relationship becomes physical, it ruins everything. I am sure that his wife, who was present in the audience, loved hearing that last comment.

After the lecture, Chris stayed to sign autographs. My friends and I split up into the two lines that were forming. I got into the wrong line along with my best friend. Luckily my other friends were in the correct line. We joined them and when it came time for us to speak with Chris we told him of the time we were on set. My friend told him that we knew someone who worked on set and he asked us who. He knew who we were talking about and it sounded as if they got along pretty well. He noticed David Duchovny’s and Dean Haglund’s signatures on our items we brought to have signed. He told my friend that it was good thing to hold onto. I finally got Chris to sign my movie script. I was very happy. Now all I have to do is get Gillian to sign it:) We took a picture with Chris and had to hurry because there was such a big line, but he was a very nice guy, and I had a wonderful time.

Mar-27-2000
[Unknown]
Interview With Paul Rabwin, Producer for The X-Files
Melissa Cooley

Melissa Cooley: When did you join 1013 Productions and The X-Files crew?

Paul Rabwin: I started with The X-Files when they first got their order to become a series. I didn’t join the company while they were shooting the pilot, but after they were “picked up” I started with them which would have been in early ’93, and I’ve been on the show since the very beginning. There are only about four of us left who have actually been with the series for the entire time.

MC: Oh, that’s great! I didn’t realize you were there when the show was in Vancouver too.

PR: Yeah, they were shooting in Vancouver. My role has always been specializing in post-production, and since our post-production is done in Los Angeles my office was at the studio of 20th Century Fox. I would go up to Vancouver on occasion, but most of the time I was here in Los Angeles.

MC: Oh, okay so it hasn’t changed too much for you then, since the move?

PR: Well actually, there are some significant changes obviously. I am able to spend more time on the set, deal with the actors and directors directly as opposed to by telephone. The most significant change for the productions moving to Los Angeles had been the look of the show. In fact, we were very concerned about it because the look of The X-Files had always been very dark and damp. It rained all of the time in Vancouver and was very gloomy, it kind of helped the whole concept of The X-Files. It was no accident that the very first shot of the very first episode that was filmed in Los Angeles was a close-up of the sun blazing over the desert. We did that intentionally just to show that there was going to be a new look, [laughs] and we couldn’t do anything about it.

MC: I remember that, it was great. What television and movies had you been involved with before The X-Files?

PR: I started in 1970 with a company called Quin Martin Productions, and Quin Martin produced some very good television series. I worked on The FBI Show, on Cannon, Barnaby Jones, and a wonderful series called The Streets of San Francisco. I directed all the second unit and car chases on The Streets of San Francisco and went on to do a couple of pilots and movies of the week over at Paramount, and then I was able to get on a series called Chips which I was involved with for four years as a producer. That was my biggest “credit” until I came upon this little science-fiction show called The X-Files, [laughs] I had no idea that it would be anything at all like it is .

MC: [Laughing] So you’ve been surprised by the popularity of it?

PR: Yeah, we were a little surprised at first. I knew it was a good show, that’s why I decided to accept the job, but I had no idea that it would take off the way that it did. It started with a cult status, and it blossomed to become a show that appealed to a great many people… I think the move to Sunday night also helped to increase its popularity, our ratings seemed to improve quite a bit after that point.

MC: Is there anything in particular that you feel makes The X-Files so appealing to different aspects of the audience, both the fan community and the “general viewing public?”

PR: Well, I think the thing that makes The X-Files unique and so appealing, first and foremost is the relationship of the two characters, Mulder and Scully. They are professionals, they are very good FBI agents, they are not romantically involved, they respect and admire each other as FBI agents, but they also have a personal relationship. In spite of what people say, they also relate to each other on a very personal level, but they are professional enough not to allow it to go beyond platonic… [laughing] now that could change, who knows! But I think the fact that they are so grounded in their work makes the show very appealing, they are of course very funny, they are both very good actors, they have a good sense of what their characters are supposed to be, I think people have related to that. I think the idea of us being a science fiction show is not exactly accurate, I think that it is a crime-drama which deals with the paranormal, and I think that is what makes it unique. I think the fact that imitators have tried to make science-fiction shows and have not succeeded as well attests to the fact that this is really a show about real people working in an area that we are not at all familiar with.

MC: That is great that you mentioned that, I was going to ask what you would categorize it as. As a producer, what are your specific duties?

PR: I am one about five producers now, the Writer-Producers work on the scripts and actually write the episodes. We have a Director-Producer who directs many of the episodes, a fellow named Kim Manners, and I am a producer whose specialty has been post-production. Which means, the areas that fall under my jurisdiction are: editing, music, sound effects, color, visual effects… a lot of the fun part of the show. I like to say, once the episode leaves the camera it comes into my jurisdiction– getting the film processed, getting it to the editors, getting it cut, and getting it finished so it can go on the air. In many ways, it is the “heart and soul” of a show like this, where so much works around visual effects and about the sound of the show, the color.. .we can make the hues bright or we can make them dull… and a lot of it has an effect on the feel of a particular episode. I find it a fascinating part of the business, and I have been able to use a lot of my experience on a show like this. It is very complex, it is like making a little feature every week. We really put a lot of effort into it, and a lot of money as a matter of fact.

MC: How much time is spent on each episode?

PR: Well, traditionally we spend close to ten days, sometimes more, actually filming the episode, and then we like to take about six weeks to get it finished to be put on the air. As we get closer to the end of the season that compacts dramatically, we have some shows that will be on the air a month after we start shooting, which is very very fast. But… we are accustomed to that, and we try not to cut too many corners when we have to do that, but it means weekends and late nights.

MC: This is rumored to be the last season of The X-Files, has that changed the feeling [of production] at all?

PR: Well, we are doing this interview on the 27th of March. There is a possibility that within the next few days or week, or hopefully within a couple of weeks, we should know the fate of The X-Files. It is not fully determined that it will be the last season, there are some issues and negotiations which are on-going, which may in fact bring us back for another season. Not being certain of that, the creator, Chris Carter, and his staff of writers are planning a final episode which will have two endings at the moment, one would be a finale to try to wrap up the series and the other will be a cliff-hanger to take us into another season. And we are at a bit of a disadvantage, not knowing yet exactly which way we are going to go… [laughs] so it is… interesting! By the time this gets published, or by the time your readers get this, we may have an idea.

MC: I have heard that will be a spin-off of The X-Files involving The Lone Gunmen, are you going to be involved with that at all?

PR: Yes, I am a producer on the spinoff series of The Lone Gunmen, and it seems like a very likely scenario for a spin-off. These three kooky geeks… computer geeks, have been involved in the show since late in the first season, and they have achieved a certain amount of popularity, they’ve had some comic relief, they are also very interesting guys. I think the nature of the show will be unique, there isn’t anything quite like that on the air, my guess is that if The X-Files doesn’t come back The Lone Gunmen have a very good chance of going on the schedule in the fall. If The X-Files does come back, I am not sure if it would be on the air in the fall, or if it might be a mid-season replacement, which means holding it back until January, which a lot of the networks seem to do with certain shows. Anyways, it looks great and I think it’s got a good chance of being picked up as a series… and that we won’t know until the middle of May.

MC: Were you involved at all with Harsh Realm or Millennium, Chris Carter’s other shows?

PR: I worked on Millennium… I liked Millennium! It was a very dark show, Millennium went through some changes over the course of its three years, and I think the audiences had a little trouble picking up on it and identifying with it, which is too bad, because I thought it was very well done. I thought Lance Henricksen was a terrific actor, and I quite enjoyed that show. Harsh Realm, I was not able to be involved with, I was around it, obviously offices were right next to mine and I was very familiar with the production as it was being done, but I did not work on that show specifically.

MC: I wanted to go back to what you were saying before about the feel of the editing and the action of the show, have there been specific things you have done to capture the spirit that was there in Vancouver as you guys have been in L.A., or have you more just recognized that you are in a different place… are there any problems that have come up?

PR: I think we have succeeded, we have shot certain shows at night, which gives it that creepy feel. We have tried to locate the show in areas that lend themselves to an X-Files feel, for example this year we did a show about snake handlers up in the Appalachians, and I think that was just naturally a very uncomfortable kind of arena to set a show in, I think that kind of gave it an X-Files feel. We don’t always get the rainy look being in Southern California, sometimes we manufacture our own rain. We did a show the first year we were in L.A. which took place during a hurricane in Florida and [laughing] all the rain was manufactured, we had big water trucks out there and fans and we created our own hurricane. So, we have the ability to capture the spirit of Vancouver, but the skies do tend to be a little bluer, and the we just compensate sometimes with the way we approach the look of the show after the fact, with the color, sometimes the camera man uses certain lenses that will give it an X-Files feel… I think we have been pretty successful in making it keep the spirit of Vancouver… it has it’s own special look now. If we ever were to shoot back in Vancouver, we would have to try and capture the L.A. look!

MC: Definitely, the show has evolved. There have been some fun episodes this season, the crossover with Cops… are there any more episodes coming up that are particularly unique?

PR: Oh sure, there is one that is being shot right now in which a quirk of nature produces a group of dopple-gangers, which are people who look exactly like other people, and cause havoc through misidentification and I think people are going to find that very amusing and are going to get a big kick out of that. We also have a very interesting episode coming up dealing with the tobacco industry and smoking and I think people are going to find that very very creepy and scary and relevant, and I think that is going to be a very popular episode.

MC: [laughing] Is CSM going to be involved at all in that one?

PR: [laughs] He might be… he might be involved.

MC: I’ll let you go in a minute, it sounds like you’re busy. I do have one more question… What do you think has been your favorite aspect of working with the show?

PR: Well, I guess my favorite aspect of working with the show has been the exposure to a whole new genre of series. This was a ground breaking television series, I think the realization of knowing that I was on a show that had historical significance as far as the history of television is concerned, is very very exciting. I have worked on many shows which were good, had great quality and that we look back upon fondly… but they aren’t going to be trivia questions in, you know… books years from now. I think there have been a handful of absolutely significant television breakthroughs, and I think The X-Files is one of them. I don’t think the nature of television drama is exactly the same, and I think it was a very exciting experience to be involved in that. It just made.. you know I have been involved with this for thirty years, and this has been an absolutely unique experience. The quality of this show, the amount of creative effort that we all have to put it into it is… different, and it’s really fun to do, there is no question about it.

MC: Well it’s fun to watch. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your time…

PR: Well thank you! This has been great, bye…

Mar-25-2000
Calgary Sun
‘Only about money’: Duchovny expects X-Files to continue without him
Louis B. Hobson

HOLLYWOOD — The truth is out there.

David Duchovny is leaving The X-Files TV series after this season.

He refused to negotiate a renewal of his contract for an eighth season. His co-star Gillian Anderson has one more year on her contract, so the popular series could continue without Duchovny’s Agent Mulder.

“I think it would be stupid if they decide to go on without me, but seeing it’s only about money at this stage, they quite likely will,” says Duchovny, who insists there is no ill will over his departure.

He was allowed to write and direct an episode of The X-Files, which will air this season.

In it, his friend Garry Shandling will portray Fox Mulder and Duchovny’s wife Tea Leoni will star as Agent Scully.

“It’s about a film based on one of Mulder and Scully’s cases and it ends with a premiere. I’ve been asking as many of my celebrity friends as can to be in the audience when the camera pans.”

Duchovny’s newest big-screen project, Return to Me, a romance co-starring Minnie Driver, opens April 7 — but has a sneak preview in Calgary tonight.