X-Files That's how I learned what a “conspiracy theory” was when I was glued to the screen in the 90s as a kid who probably shouldn't have watched the show in the first place. However, it was clear to even my young and unjaded eyes that this was a much better piece of programming than the alternatives of the time.
The Adventures of Mulder and Scully was unlike any TV show I had seen before that moment. It actually felt more like a movie, but why?
Shot like in a movie, not on television
IN 1995 interviewDP (operator) by X-Files, John Bartley reports that the show was shot on 35mm film. This was done for various reasons, mainly to provide better low-light image quality, but it also has the side effect of giving the show a more cinematic look. Compared to the smaller, cheaper film formats typically used in other TV shows.
With dark and moody lighting combined with camera work and film stock more typical of films, the show instantly surpassed other typical '90s television shows.
The power of practical effect
Computer graphics (CG) was pretty simple in the 90s. Even such innovative big-budget computer-generated films as Toy Story They look pretty rough by modern standards. TV shows that used this primitive computer graphics, e.g. Babylon 5Because of this, they aged quite a lot. On the contrary, shows like X-Files Practical effects and analogue visual effects techniques were primarily used.
The use of physical props, sets and lighting techniques in camera means that X-Files when viewed today it doesn't seem dated at all. It feels like it's set in the '90s, and not necessarily then.
The atmospheric magic of Vancouver
Although the show is set in the United States, it was actually originally filmed in Vancouverwhich provided fog, rain and natural forest landscapes for thrilling cryptid chases and alien abductions. The look of the city and its surroundings has become part of the visual character of the show, and this consistent environmental language is a big part of what makes it work so well.
Essentially, having a grounded and iconic visual style means you can never look dated, because that look itself is what the show is all about. If you did a remake X-Files today you will have to reproduce this atmosphere, not “improve” it.
Movie restoration and HD remasters done right
Remember when I said the show was shot on 35mm film? Well, it turns out that this was partly due to forethought on the part of Fox and the show's creators. They knew that at some point X-Files will have to be remastered for HD broadcast and HD home release. Using smaller film sizes or shooting the show with digital cameras will make it difficult or impossible to get more details from the source material.
When they remastered the show for HD that you see (or should see) on streaming services, they re-scanned the original 35mm negatives, giving it the full depth and color that film provides.
Not that it was easy! IN interview with Ben Gourley from TweakTown conducted with Jim Hardy, CEO of Illuminate, it turned out that the show's remastering process took over 18 months for all 200-plus episodes, with thousands upon thousands of feet of negatives having to go through. It also required redoing some VFX shots, but I suspect that since many of the special effects in the series were practical and in-camera, it wasn't as difficult as, say, remastering Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The visual language that defined the genre
I already talked about this, but X-Files is one of those rare shows that defines the visual language of the genre. Many paranormal or conspiracy theory shows try to imitate the use of shadow and light, desaturated colors, and gratuitous use of flashlight beams to awaken what X-Files brought to the genre.
Shows how True Detective The edge, and in some ways even Stranger Things pay tribute X-Filesand what visual language and identity do effectively X-Files timeless.
