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Front cover
Author: Louisa Gradnitzer & Todd Pittson
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Published: 1999
Pages: 185
Reference: ISBN 1551520664

X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files) is a reference book published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 1999. The book was written by Louisa Gradnitzer and Todd Pittson, who worked as location managers on the first five seasons of The X-Files television series. X Marks the Spot is a guide to the locations they used during that time as well as the experiences they meanwhile had, also including many black-and-white images (mainly photographs but also a few maps) and an introduction by Tom Braidwood.

Summary[]

From the book jacket
"We need to keep people guessing. We only give away fragments. The viewer has to put the pieces of the puzzle together. When it comes to The X-Files, you can't be a passive viewer." – series creator Chris Carter, SFX, June 1999
The first pieces of The X-Files puzzle were established in 1993, when the program debuted on American television. From its inauspicious beginnings as a cult TV show, to its becoming part of the collective conspiratorial unconscious, X Marks the Spot reveals the people and the places that helped make the show part of television history – from Chris Carter, David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson, to UFOs, scorched corpses, and blinding lights.
The X-Files has won numerous awards and captured the imaginations of television viewers around the world. For the first time, fans of the program can catch a glimpse of life on the set and behind the scenes, and find out how their favourite episodes were filmed.
X Marks the Spot also includes plot synopses of the first five years, explicit descriptions of locations, and anecdotes about life on set and with the stars, all as seen through the eyes of location managers Todd Pittson and Louisa Gradnitzer, who chronicle their five-year journey through The X-Files.
With more than 150 photographs of sets, locations, crew, cast, and would-be monsters and aliens, X Marks the Spot is a fascinating primer on how to produce groundbreaking television.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

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