Is Filming in Vancouver a Key ‘X’ Factor?

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, the two FBI agents tracking down UFOs, vampires, monsters and other unexplained phenomena on “The X-Files,” have finally met their match.

They are cruising down the Venice Beach boardwalk, encountering all kinds of human creatures, including tattooed street performers, roller-blading hard bodies and teens with purple hair. Later, they are mystified by the origin of the endless rows of palm trees in Beverly Hills. Befuddled and perspiring, they drive a convertible up to Mulholland Drive and gaze on the sparkling lights of the San Fernando Valley, wondering if the Truth can really be Out There.

Although such a scenario is unlikely to take place on the moody, dark and atmospheric Fox series any time soon, fans and others in the entertainment industry have been speculating on how the look and feel of “The X-Files” would be altered if it moved from rainy, lush Vancouver to sunny, dry Los Angeles.

The conjecture was prompted by “X-Files” star David Duchovny, who has been repeatedly proclaiming the last few weeks that he would like the series, which has been filming in Vancouver since its premiere in 1993, to make the move.

“My wife [actress Tea Leoni of NBC’s “The Naked Truth”] lives in Los Angeles now, and I realize that I’m in the minority here, but I would like to live with my wife,” Duchovny said Monday on “Late Show With David Letterman.” He added, “I mean, it’s nothing against Vancouver, which is a lovely city. We’ve got a great crew.”

And in an interview with TV Guide Online, Duchovny said about being separated from Leoni: “It’s hard, but I will only do it for this year. Either they’ll move the show to L.A., or I won’t be on the show anymore.”

Chris Carter, the drama’s creator and executive producer, said Thursday that a decision on the show staying put or moving won’t be made until late in the season.

Of Duchovny, Carter said, “David has spent five years working abroad. If that’s what he wants, people should understand. I think it’s a non-story. It’s the most obvious thing in the world, and people are giving it more attention than it deserves.”

But he acknowledged that Duchovny’s comments have caused anxiety among the Canadian crew working on “The X-Files.”

“It’s affected what I do on a daily basis,” Carter said by phone from Vancouver. “With all the attention David has been getting, it creates a lot of questions for the crew, many of whom have been with me and the show for five seasons. They start to wonder if we’re pulling up stakes.

“I’ve told them that we’re going to be here this year, and we should make as good a show as we can make. If a decision is made to leave, they will have done five years of good work. That’s as long or longer than most shows go if they’re lucky. But it’s human nature. They want to make plans for the future. They want to feel there is a loyalty to what they have brought to the show. I also think that David’s desire and [co-star] Gillian [Anderson’s] desire--if they want to be with their spouses or significant others--are important things for the health of the show.”

Carter said that shooting the drama in Vancouver has been beneficial to the overall look and feel of the series: “Vancouver has been one of the reasons the show has been a success, in addition to the crew we have there. It’s a good place to shoot the show.”

The quality of outside light in Vancouver is unique, Carter said: “The sun is at a lower angle. It tends to be rainier and grayer there, which works to keep up the claustrophobic and queasy feel.”

In the series, Vancouver has stood in not only for Washington, D.C.--where the two fictional FBI agents are based--but also for numerous other places around the country, in addition to Russia and Hong Kong.

“The X-Files” is the most prominent series among some 18 television programs that shoot in Vancouver and contribute a reported $240 million in Canadian dollars to British Columbia. Because of the strong American dollar and the weak Canadian dollar, it is 20% to 30% less expensive to shoot shows in Vancouver.

Television executives and cinematographers said there might be some differences in the look of an L.A.-based “X-Files” as opposed to the Vancouver-based “X-Files.”

“The main variation would bein the weather,” said Robert Liu, a director of photography and board member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

“It’s very cold there, and you get the effect of the air coming out of the mouth,” Liu said. “I don’t think you could do that as easily in Los Angeles, where so many nights are warm.”

John Symes, president of the Worldwide Television Group at Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer Inc., added that Vancouver offered more variety in locations, particularly for projects with otherworldly themes such as “The X-Files.”

“Vancouver offers such a myriad of looks,” Symes said. “Within 30 minutes, you can be in the forest, in the mountains or in the water.” Among MGM shows shooting in Vancouver are “Stargate SG-1,” “Outer Limits” and “Poltergeist: The Legacy,” all for Showtime.

But several directors of photography--all members of the A.S.C.--said that moving “The X-Files” would have little or no effect on the look of the series.

Bob Primes, vice president of the A.S.C., said: “They could probably do more stuff in the desert. In Vancouver, the mountains are easier to get to. But the mood that you feel is the mood the director of photography puts you in.”

“If they used the same director of photography and other key members of the technical team, that look would be very easy to re-create in Los Angeles,” said Steve Poster, who has shot movies in Vancouver.

Cinematographer Isidore Mankofsky agreed. “It’s much greener in Vancouver. . . . The rain does help the look of the show, but a decent cinematographer can get around that.”

Carter concurred. “If people think the look of the show would change [by moving to a new city], I can say it wouldn’t from a visual perspective,” he said.