R. W. Goodwin helped give The X-Files its cinematic look. We rate the practical skill behind that achievement, while keeping some distance from the programme’s tendency to make a mystery last longer than it should.
Fi1m perspective
The nuclear submarine sequence in Endgame is a useful place to look for R. W. Goodwin: a director trusted with a demanding television set piece. He often directed season openers and closers, handling the programme’s continuing mysteries. We were drawn into The X-Files (1993) because David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson made its unexplained events worth another hour of our attention. Goodwin deserves a share of the credit for a series we recommend warmly. We value his ability to tackle complicated material without using television’s limited time as an excuse to do less.
Working with series creator Chris Carter and cinematographer John S. Bartley, he helped establish the programme’s cinematic look. The lighting and tone drew inspiration from Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saint Matthew. Across the first five seasons, Goodwin oversaw physical production on 116 episodes and directed nine. The distinction matters: his contribution extended to getting other directors’ episodes made, not just staging his own. His directing credits include The Erlenmeyer Flask, Anasazi and The End.
The limit of our enthusiasm is the series’ fondness for secrecy, which sometimes makes us impatient rather than curious. Goodwin was responsible for filming demanding mythology episodes, but that does not make every unanswered question his fault. His own description in 1996 was blunt: “I’m the one who’s handed the script by Carter and has to somehow turn it into film.” He left after season five, when production moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles in 1998.
With Alien Trespass (2009), which he directed and produced, he set out to recreate a 1957 science-fiction film. He studied the look, colours and earnest tone of older films, aiming for something that could pass as their contemporary rather than a spoof. The appeal of that approach is easy to understand: the strange events are meant to be taken seriously. Start with The X-Files, though, and give its secrets rather more patience than we always managed.
Biography
R. W. Goodwin is an Australian-born American television producer and director. He worked as co-executive producer on The X-Files (1993) from 1993 to 1998, also directing nine episodes and writing one.
Goodwin has directed episodes of series including Third Watch (1999) and produced Tru Calling (2003). He directed and produced the feature film Alien Trespass (2009). He lives in Bellingham, Washington, and is married to actress Sheila Larken.
