Another death in the Ten Thirteen family! 2025 is a tough year. Cinematographer John S. Bartley (ASC, CSC) died at age 78, as reported by an ASC memorial. As the director of photography for a show known for its cinematic look, he was one of the most important people involved in The X-Files. He defined the look of the show with its characteristic use of darkness, heavy contrast and abstract light sources. His use of darkness was so extensive and unprecedented that he won the nickname “Prince of Darkness” among the crew! He also introduced the definitive Xenon flashlights for Mulder and Scully and experimented with color (see episodes like “3”).
“The X-Files uses darkness as a character”
“we didn’t have any money, and that had a lot to do with the look. Most of our sets weren’t finished; if you looked down the end of a hallway, there was nothing there, or there might be the sets of some other production, so we’d put something down there like a bright light or an object that couldn’t be identified.”
He was originally from New Zealand. Taking over from Tom Del Ruth who shot the pilot, Bartley was brought over to the show by producer Bob Goodwin. He started work with the first episode, “Deep Throat”, and stayed for the first three seasons, for a total of 72 episodes. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in season 2 (for “One Breath”) and won it in season 3 (for “Grotesque”). According to IMDB, his daughter Amanda was an extra in the opening of “Talitha Cumi” (and was later second unit assistant director in the second movie!). When Bartley left in the fourth season, the producers struggled to replace him, alternating between Ron Stannett and Jon Joffin before settling with Joel Ransom for the rest of the Vancouver years. Bartley went on to work on shows like “Roswell”, “Lost” and “Bates Motel”.
“I still remember shooting episode six that was directed by David Nutter. It was called ‘Ice.’ I think that episode took the series to the next level. David pushed the envelope and challenged me to make every shot better. We blended light and darkness. The audience saw some things, and they weren’t sure whether they saw other things. That added to the aura of mystery.”
We owe it partly to Bartley that the show was shot on 35 mm and looks as great as it does in high definition.
“The show is shot on 35mm film for a couple of reasons. Fox wanted to shoot the show in Super 35 format, providing a wide frame for future HDTV syndication. Using a large negative also gives Bartley the freedom to work with low-key lighting and maintain the richness of the show’s high-impact images. ‘If we were shooting in a smaller format, we’d need a lot more light to keep grain from building up. That means we’d have to give up our minimalist approach to low-key lighting. We’ve done many scenes with just practicals. That’s living on the edge.'”
Read more interviews on Eat The Corn from 1995 and from 2011.
Watch an extensive interview for the Archive of American Television from 2009.
Watch him comment on his work in a season 3 behind the scenes short.
Here is a small sample of Bartley’s immense work on the series:
