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We continue our exclusive interview with Ilt Jones, the location manager for
the X-Files. The location manager is the one responsible for finding those
fabulous locations you see each week on this very popular show. Ilt is also
responsible for coordinating all facets of bringing a crew on location. I visited Ilt at Stage 5 on the lot at Twentieth Century Fox in L.A. The
crew was dressing the stage when I arrived. Ilt and I visited in the
location loft above the stage which features huge location maps on the wall
of the greater Los Angeles area, a location manager's tool of trade.
What was one of your favorite locations and what episode did it appear?
The most remarkable location was the one featuring the African beach in the
season finale of season 6. The closing shot is a slow lift with a crane
showing a space ship in the water. To get that shot at Leo Carillo beach,
they had to build a crane platform at the very end of the rocks, a very
narrow sliver of rocks sticking out into the ocean 100 feet. The grips
built this camera platform that was 40 feet square all balanced on rocks 2
feet wide.
It (the set up) was huge. We were not allowed to drill into the rocks. When
the tide went out they rushed in with forklift trucks and built the
structure. It would take a month to build this if they were in construction. They built it in two days.
What's the collaborative process like between the Locations and the Art
Department/Production Designer?
When I get a script, I break it down for the locations. I go out and take
pictures of things that I think will work. The first person I show the
pictures to is the Production Designer (Corey Kaplan). Because some of the
things we do on stage need to match what we do on location. We are the first
people to collaborate on the locations. I get four or five choices for each
location. She takes what she likes to the director.
We're such a big company I try not take us to places that are logistical
nightmares. It's like moving a circus around.
What do you think of the naysayers who didn't think the show could move from
Vancouver to Los Angeles and maintain its spooky ambiance?
I think they (the production team) brought a refreshing new approach to the
show. There's a lot more humor than there was before. I think they stretched out and provided more breadth visually. We still do spooky dark
stuff. Last year, we shot in Cedar Grove in Griffith Park, which was beautiful and spooky on screen.
We also did stuff in the desert: the Area 51 stories. I personally am a big
fan of the desert. The naysayers are in the minority. We get loads of feedback from e-mail and
the media that keep encouraging us to keep doing what we're doing.
We are also in Southern California, and we're gonna have to feature the
desert. There are so many great old buildings in L.A. In Pasadena, there are
magnificent buildings all over the place. There's plenty of eye candy to be
shot here.
What dream locations would you like to see in the X-Files that we haven't
seen yet?
There's an underground reservoir in the San Fernando Valley that's the size
of the Rose Bowl. It's has huge 50 foot tall pillars. It's straight out of
Metropolis. It's the coolest place I've ever seen in my life as a location
manager. It gives me goose bumps thinking about it now.
And Angelus Abby, the mausoleum in Compton, looks like downtown Baghdad. It's
a Moorish fantasy with huge mosque-like domes. It's in a park setting with a
temple.
The Bradbury Building I'd love to see on the screen (featured brilliantly in
Blade Runner), one of my favorite all time buildings. Union Station is
another location that looks rich on screen.
What has been the biggest location challenge so far?
"Rain King," the episode we did last year about the guy who could control the
weather with his mind, was one of the most challenging. We had to find a
motel where we could crash a cow (fake cow) through the roof. We had to fire
the cow up in the air. The next thing you know there's a hole in the roof
and Mulder narrowly escapes being hit by the cow.
There's this cow lying on the bed. Basically, we had to find a hotel where
we could make a big hole in the ceiling and have debris everywhere and the
cow in the room.
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"On
Location With Ilt Jones of the X-Files - Part 2"
