Paul Rabwin's presentation was very interesting. He came with clips from the show to help him explain to the audience exactly what goes on in post-production.
Paul started by apologizing that Chris Carter couldn't come to speak to us himself. Rabwin went on to explain that the reason Chris couldn't come is because he had been abducted by aliens. To prove his point, he showed some footage from "Duane Barry" (the scene from the teaser where Duane begins to rise from the bed), except in Rabwin's footage Steve Railsback's head had been replaced with the head of Chris Carter. Okay, I'll admit it was kind of silly, but it was cute nonetheless.
Rabwin went on to explain that his favorite visual effects are the ones that you can't tell are visual effects. One of his favorites is the scene during Samantha's abduction when she floats through the window. He explained that when filming the scene, Sam was on wires and moved through an open space. In post-production they not only removed the wires, but they also added Sam's reflection in the glass as she passed through the window.
The next footage displayed was from "Anasazi". We got to see the scene from the teaser when the young Indian boy rides his motorbike along the ravine -- except in the undoctored footage you can see that he is riding along the orange-painted rocks, and there are regular looking, gray rocks to the boy's left. Rabwin then displayed a landscape from the "real" Arizona, then showed the scene as aired. The combined footage placed the ravine scene over the unpainted rocks, making it look like the boy was riding perilously close to the edge.
Another effect that Rabwin showed us was the boat in New York Harbor from "The Red and the Black". He said that it would have been too expensive to go film a real boat in the real harbor, so they improvised. He took a scene of the boat from "Dod Kalm", a stock-footage shot of a New York skyline, steam-footage from "The Walk", a small square of light to represent a window, and a scene with billowing dirt-clouds kicked up by a dune buggy, and combined them to create the scene in the New York harbor (he went into much more detail, and since he had visual aids it was much more interesting than what it sounds like from my description).
Rabwin then went on to discuss sound effects. He explained that in the episode "Teso Dos Bichos" (and he did say that it was okay for us to hiss and boo -- and that in a show with 120-some-odd greats, you had to expect a few "Teso Dos Bichos"), all of the animal sounds (cats, rats, panthers) were actually all performed by a guy who imitates animals.
To display the art of color-correction, Rabwin played the panoramic scene of Maine from the beginning of "Chinga". He showed us how he could change the sky from clear to cloudy and how he could change things such as the color of a car as it moved down the street. He also played footage of the vampire's unsuccessful attempts to avoid the sun from "3". He explained how color-correction was used to turn the vampires face from flesh-colored to red.
Rabwin then went on to explain some of the inside jokes hidden throughout the episodes (wasn't I pleased!). He explained that the "82594" on the top of the train in "Nisei" represents the 8/25/94, the date of Chris Carter's directorial debut on the episode "Duane Barry". He also talked about how Scully reading "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was a reference to the Final Jeopardy question missed by David Duchovny when he appeared on the show (if you are reading this page, you probably already know all of this, since my regular web page only exists to list that kind of stuff). He showed us close-up footage of the tabloid magazine Modell glanced at in "Pusher", paying close attention to the "Depravity Rampant on Hit TV Show" line and the photograph of a gorilla with the caption "Movie Producer". He also did a close-up of the "Entertainment Weekly" mock-up issue (with Executive Producer Bob Goodwin on the cover) that was used to paper a bird-cage in "Never Again" (as always, you can read more about these in-jokes on my regular web page). He then showed us an in-joke that was not on my page because it was from an episode that hadn't even aired yet! He played the scene from "Travelers" where the agents stop the record on the turntable. The singer listed on the record's label is "Paula Rabwini"!
Rabwin's next post-production issue was sound. He played a scene from "The Blessing Way" (the scene where Scully is stopped on the road by the men from the helicopter looking for the DAT tape) without the sounds that were added in post production. Without the added sounds, all we could hear was a bit of dialogue. He then played the scene with all of the sound effects added, and there was a dramatic difference. He also pointed out sounds that you might not have known to listen for (like a low rumble that played throughout the scene).
Rabwin then related the PFFFT story (the same one used in one of the Behind-The-Scenes shorts on FX). Rabwin explained how they needed a sound for the alien bounty-hunter's weapon, the gimlet (otherwise known to internet philes as the "PLAM"). They tried approximately 20 different sounds (pneumatic, mechanical, etc), and when Carter didn't like any of them they tried different combinations of the sounds. Finally, when they were almost at wit's end, Rabwin called Carter and asked whether or not you would spell the sound Carter wanted to hear as "PFFFT". When Carter responded that that was probably true, Rabwin stepped up to a microphone and made the sound just by using his mouth. Carter loved it. That's how Rabwin became the PFFFT guy. He then played the scene from "Colony" where we are introduced to the gimlet, and you could really tell that he was indeed the man who made the sound that they use today. Rabwin's comment: "And you thought we were high-tech."
To end his demonstration, he played one of his favorite scenes that combines all of the elements he had been talking about. He played the climactic scenes from "The Calusari", where the viewpoint changes between Mulder at the exorcism and Scully with the bad-twin. He pointed out the color work, the added sounds (crickets in the Scully scenes, lion's roars added to the boy's voice, the mother speaking with the boy's voice), the lighting, the shadows, etc.
He then opened the floor to questions!
Saturday's Questions:
He opened the Q&A session on Saturday by announcing that the move to LA had become official on Friday (I was surprised when the audience hardly responded).
What is your favorite X-Files episode?
The beautiful Black & White episode.
How long does it take to complete an X-Files Episode?
Rabwin responded that it *should* take 6 weeks. He went on to say that after the script is written, it takes 8 working days to prepare the episode, 8 days to film, 3 days for recording pickups and inserts (scenes that can be filmed without the main actors -- closeups of hands, feet on gas petals, etc). The editor is working on the episode throughout the entire process, as well as the director and producer's editing. The network then gets to review the episode and make their cuts/recommendations. It also takes about a week for the visual effects. He said that the episode "The Red and the Black" was finished on a Wednesday and was on-the-air on Sunday, and that as the season progresses they end up with less and less time between the final edit and the air date.
What is your favorite aspect of post production?
He's a big fan of sound. He talked a bit about season 4's "Tempus Fugit" and "Max", and how the sound editors have won 2 emmys. He spoke some on the difficulties sound presented in the episode "Hell Money", because the story was about Cantonese people, but the casting directors (in their infinite wisdom) had cast a Japanese man and a Mandarin Chinese woman. He said that they spent 2 days re-recording dialogue in post-production in an attempt to get the correct accents.
Do you have interns and what does it take to become one?
Rabwin reported that they really don't have non-paid people working for the show.
Someone asked whether or not the "I want to believe" posted had changed (since it looks a bit different now than it used to). Rabwin responded that it had indeed changed. They had originally bought the poster and received permission to use it on the show from the people who held the copyright. After season one, the copyright holders revoked X-Files right to use it, so they made their own.
Do you ever work on more than one episode at a time?
Yes. They usually have up to 6 in progress at a time. He also works on Millennium, and has up to 6 in progress on that show, so he is usually working on 12 episodes at a time.
I couldn't hear the question, but someone asked something about internet scripts, and perhaps about how to become a writer for the show. Rabwin replied that all of the internet scripts are wonderful (big audience reaction) but that they can't be used on the show. He said that they get unsolicited X-Files scripts sent to the Ten Thirteen office all the time, but that what they would rather look at is a script for another series. He said that when they are looking for writers, they don't really want to read another writer's interpretation of an X-Files script, they would rather read a script that the writer has written for another show and decide whether that writer can write a great script. They want the good writer, not the good X-Files plot line.
The next person said that they were always hearing rumors about David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson leaving the show, and did Rabwin have any idea how much longer they would stay? Rabwin responded that they would probably be around for 2 more years. The talked a bit about how he feels that both DD and GA have great feature careers in front of them, and about how anyone can burn out after they have been on a show for a long enough while.
How will the show be different, now that it will be filmed in LA?
Rabwin stated that it will be different. He talked for a little bit on the episode "Detour", and how it could not have been filmed as it was in LA (due to the 12 days spent filming in the forest that was about 20 minutes away from the studio). Rabwin said to find that type of forest in LA would probably require a 2 hour drive. Rabwin said that in LA the show will have more of an urban look (and they will probably have more scenes at the beach).
Sunday's Questions:
What will some of the differences be, now that you are going to LA?
Yes, same question as yesterday, but we got more anecdotes today. He said that in LA the extras will "talk better", and went on to talk about how in the episode "Our Town", the story took place at a processing plant, and the Canadian actors kept saying processing (with a hard "o" in pro -- like in toe) instead of the way Americans say it (with a softer "o", like in pot). That was another pronunciation that had to be fixed in post-production. He also said that with the show in LA, we will probably start seeing different extras (he noted how internet people have noticed when actors are used and re-used). He also related a story about how on one episode the prop-sheet said they were supposed to have "Smores". When the prop guy didn't know what those were, Rabwin said to get Hershey bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers. Later, when it was time to shoot the scene, he saw that instead of graham crackers, they had "Saltines" -- which simply wouldn't work. Rabwin said that as similar as America and Canada are, there really were some cultural differences that bit them every so often.
Will the X-Files be broadcast in high-definition?
"Absolutely." He has been told by the head of post-production at the studio that they will be involved in high-definition as early as next year.
Will they continue to put the series on VHS tapes?
Rabwin reported that they will not put all of the episodes out on videotape (at least not in America). They try to find shows with themes that relate to each other and release those together without flooding the market. He talked about how he edits the 2 and 3 part episodes together without commercial breaks (making them look like one long movie) for distribution overseas (Japan, UK, Australia). He said that we shouldn't complain, however, because we get to see the reruns on FX and other stations.
I couldn't hear the question, but it was basically a question about "Home" being shown again. "Home will be shown again" Rabwin responded confidently. There was a "ruling" from Fox that said "Home" would never air on television again! Rabwin said that they all thought the hubbub over the episode was ridiculous. "'Home' was a great episode!". The network felt that it was too graphic. They said that it would never be on the air again, but they got enough pressure from people writing letters and e-mails that they finally relented, and it will be re-run in April.
A fan had noticed that on Millennium they had used the song "Good-bye Charlie" a number of times. He asked if that was their favorite song. Rabwin laughed and said "Not anymore". He went on to say that Morgan and Wong (fabulous writers for both X-Files and Millennium, who will have their own new show with Arsenio Hall next season) like to create motifs that run through the entire series. They tried to create a whole new feeling for Frank Black on Millennium this year. They gave him a particular taste in music, with emphasis on Bobby Darin. There were a number of songs that Bobby Darin's widow and publisher let them use, "Good-bye Charlie" being one of them. Rabwin said that they got into the song so much that they wrote a marvelous script around it. He said that "Good-bye Charlie" has now been used 3 time in the series, and that we will probably not hear it again (however we probably will hear more Bobby Darin songs).
Who chooses the music for the X-Files, and how do they go about selecting the bands who's songs will be used?
Rabwin reported that "We have very good writers". He said that often times the writers will put in the script exactly what songs they want used. Rabwin related the story about Chris Carter writing "Duane Barry/Ascension", and how the felt it was very important to use Nick Cave's song "Red Right Hand" because it had a very specific lyric that spoke to Duane Barry. Morgan & Wong felt that it was very important to use "Wonderful Wonderful" in "Home" because it played so totally against what we were seeing on the screen. Rabwin also said that sometimes it doesn't matter, and that they will get a script that says 'We want a metal band's song here', or 'an alternative rock song', without being specific. He also said that they've used songs from the "Songs in the Key of X" album. He talked about how using "Unmarked Helicopters" in "Tempus Fugit/Max" turned out to be the perfect song, due to the tone of the scene. Other times they solicit suggestions from song publishers. He concluded by saying usually the writers already have an idea of what song they want to use. He then went on to say that as far as the movie is concerned, they have David Was, who produced the "Songs in the Key of X" album, working as a music supervisor, so there will be a lot of hip, new songs appearing in the feature.
Will they ever replace the opening titles for the show? Will the movie titles be different?
Rabwin spoke some on creating the opening titles. First he remarked that the Pilot episode did not have the title sequence like every other X-Files episode simply because it wasn't ready. He said that they had gotten down to the day before they were supposed to be on-air with "Deep Throat" and they put in shots that they had not planned to use. He remarked about the scene with the seeds germinating -- he said that they found that footage about an hour before they were supposed to deliver the main titles. They had been looking for something organic. They had ordered stock footage from a film library, but the footage had been marked (with the library name or with a time-stamp of some type) so that it couldn't be reused. Since they didn't have time to go hunt down the original, unmarked footage, they cut-out the bad part and doubled the good side so it would fill up the screen, resulting in the mirror imaged footage we are so familiar with in the main title. He did say that the main title will be changed for the film, but that they don't plan to re-do it for the series. They had talked about changing it a couple of times, but they decided that it was familiar and in-keeping with the theme of the show, so they have left it alone. He said that it has become a member of the X-Files family.
Did you study for your profession?
Rabwin replied that his first job out of college was as a bartender. He studied English Literature in college. But then he got his job the old fashioned way -- he had a cousin in the business. He started out at the bottom in a very low paying job, then worked his way up. His knowledge of English literature and his background in music helped him a great deal.
When does Mark Snow and his music become involved in the production of an episode?
Rabwin commented that Mark Snow brings genius every show. Mark sees the show for the first time approximately 5 days before they begin to mix the music and sound effects together. Rabwin stated that they mark the episode to tell Snow where the music should be, then Snow spends 3 to 4 days watching the episode and composing it music on his keyboards. He usually adds 35 to 40 minutes of music per episode (which is much more music than any other hour-long show produces). Rabwin marvels that Snow's music is unique and unbelievably good every time.
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