The X-Files, Season 5: The Missing Files

[DigModiFicaTion]

Lately I haven't had time to fanedit and to be honest I've lost a bit of drive with the current projects due to some nagging issues with files and vegas. SO in my quest to get more healthy, I've delved back into the elliptical world of the X-Files. I've been running through the mythology episodes and finally made it to the end (no pun intended) of season 5, which meant it was time to watch the first X-Files movie. While the movie isn't something amazing, it certainly stays true to the X-Files source and continues the story in a fantastic way and serves as a fan to the flame of Mulder's faith to believe. Mulder and Scully also have some great character development moments together that really enhances their story and path towards the truth, together. Anyway, I needs something simple to get me back into the game and this seems like the easiest way to do that. One movie (instead of multiple movies like in the Star Trek project) with minimal edits that focuses more on presentation.

Title
The X-Files, Season 5: The Missing Files

Tagline
If I give up now, they win

Original Time
121 min

Fanedit Time
106 min

Time Cut
11 min

Time Added
4 min

Brief Synopsis
Even with the shutting down of the X-Files, Mulder & Scully find themselves once again uncovering clues to the ongoing government conspiracy they have been seeking to uncover for the last 5 years.
File X-S5E21 - Mulder and Scully discover a government coverup in connection to an alien virus.
File X-S5E22 - The X-Files have been shut down and Scully has vanished after suddenly falling ill to what Mulder believes is an alien virus.

Intention
Turning X-Files: Fight the Future into 2 episodes of season 5 of The X-Files.

Other Sources
X-Files The Complete Series
Poster set from darkwesley https://theposterdb.com/set/93120
Poster from Aloha_Alona https://theposterdb.com/poster/57781

Release Information
1080p 6mpbs 5.1 MP4 1:78:1

Editing Details
The first episode follows the 46min format as established by the televised running length. The second episode has an additional 14 minutes making it almost a 1.5 length episode. The story requires the scenes for narrative flow, so I made the finale episode longer. This is the reasoning for the "missing files" and it being left out of season 5, well that's my mythology fanfiction anyway
The two episodes are also presented in 1:78:1 to mirror the tv show's aspect ratio.

Special Thanks
@asterixsmeagol (feedback on project title and requesting the 1:78:1 ratio)
@Jrzag42 (feedback on project name)
@The Scribbling Man (commiserating on Vegas woes
@Last Impressions (ripping advice)
@bionicbob (editing feedback)

Current Edit List

File X-S5E21 - Dissolvement (46min)
+Added theryaney's fe.org bumper
+Added Fanedit warning (recolored to light blue)
-Remove the Opening Credits & Cavemen/Alien scenes
-Open with boy falling into pit scene
-Removed boys running away from pit and cut to black after boy's eyes turn black and add X-Files Season 6 Intro
+Add on-screen in episode credits
+Commercial fade to black after Mulder says, "next time you're buying" when looking at the aftermath of the building explosion
+Commercial fade to black after Smoking Man tells the scientist to burn the body if the vaccine is unsuccessful
+Commercial fade to black while Scully hides in the morgue freezer from the guard
+Fade out to black, added extra alien screams
+Added custom X-Files closing credits
*Cropped numerous scenes throughout to create a better frame for characters in the 1:78:1 presentation

File X-S5E22- Fight The Future (~60 min)
+Added theryaney's fe.org bumper
+Added Fanedit warning (recolored to light blue)
+Add previously on the X-Files montage
+Fade in on children playing in the courtyard in England
+Added ominous X-Files music while the group talks about the new findings and that Mulder has seen the body
+Fade out after talk of eliminating Mulder and taking away what matters most to him
+Added shot of Mulder and Scully on the tv with a slight zoom in on Scully to gently suggest she is what matters most to him
+Added X-Files Season 6 Intro
-Trimmed up corn field chopper chase
+Commercial fade to black after Mulder and Scully escape the corn field
-Preserved movies jump to black after Smoking Man gets on plain with comatose Scully, used as a commercial break
-Removed Mulder talking to Kurtzweil in the alley as the information shared is nothing new and we already know Kurtzweil is on the run. Mulder runs out the door, sees him walking away and then hears and sees the man on the fire escape
+Commercial fade to black after car explosion and Mulder running away to save Scully
-Moved scene of Smoking Man getting into the snow dozer to look for Mulder to after Mulder starts his way down the ladder in the alien spacecraft
-Cut Mulder falling down ladder in spaceship (it's ridiculous and the safety wire is super visible while he hangs over the ledge)
+Added string popping x-files violin sounds when Mulder sees Scully in the maturation chamber
+Commercial fade to black after Mulder sees Scully
+Moved Smoking Man returning to the facility before Mulder comes up with the idea to break Scully out.
-Cut all aliens breaking out of the tanks. You see the inside the tanks, but they don't grab Mulder or chase directly after him. This and the ladder scenes are ridiculous as they push beyond the believable (even for the X-Files)
-Cut alien popping up out of the vent.......again ridiculous. We've seen it do massive damage to people and it's hard to believe that some steam would deter it from chasing Mulder and Scully any further.
-Preserved natural commercial fade to black after Mulder faints (from exhaustion?)
+Fade to black during long shot of cornfields in Tunisia
+Added custom X-Files closing credits
*Cropped numerous scenes throughout to create a better frame for characters in the 1:78:1 presentation

 

[asterixsmeagol]

Are you keeping the 2.35:1 ratio?

 

[Jrzag42]

Wouldn't it be like, season 5.9? 6.1 implies that it's after 6...I think

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Are you keeping the 2.35:1 ratio?

I'm not such a stickler on aspect ratio. The show was shot on 35mm film in 1:78:1. I may adjust the frame to reflect that so it works with the footage. Good catch.

Wouldn't it be like, season 5.9? 6.1 implies that it's after 6...I think

I'm looking at it like X-Men 1.5, Spider-man 2.1, etc. They're kind of like "missing files" Maybe I should call it, season 6 the missing files? The movie is sandwiched between a two part cliff hanger finale, S5 "The End", and S6 "The Beginning". The previously on the X-Files segment even has scenes from the movie in it for the first S6 episode. To be honest, the story line of the movie kind of just reuses the bees and black oil from previous episodes and presents them, well at least the bees, as something that Mulder and Scully haven't witnessed before, even though they have. They also add an alien aspect to what is going on with the conspiracy that I can't quite figure out how it's connected with the black oil in the time frames they show. The black oil seems more like parasitic/host stuff while the bees are more like the facehuger approach. Anyway, that was a tangent I just went off on

Perhaps the title should instead be the The X-Files, Season 6 The Missing Files?

 

[Jrzag42]

Your explanation of the title does make sense, though I do like the sound of The Missing Files.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

... some nagging issues with files and vegas.

What's vegas done now? If I had a penny for every time it crashed I'd have a new laptop.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

What's vegas done now? If I had a penny for every time it crashed I'd have a new laptop.

It's mostly with some rips I made that aren't working right. They glitch in Vegas, but not outside of it. Ever since I started using makemkv my files have started to have issues.

 

[The Scribbling Man]

It's mostly with some rips I made that aren't working right. They glitch in Vegas, but not outside of it. Ever since I started using makemkv my files have started to have issues.

Ah. I was considering trying MakeMKV next time, but maybe I won't if it's another reason for Vegas to go gaga.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

I think it's the MKV to MP4 conversion issue that's been pointed out a lot. I probably unchecked the needed box that fixes the timestamp issues. I've tried to fix it multiple times and used different files, but I probably just need to do the whole rip process again, hopefully. My Patriot Games edit is basically waiting on a glitch free file to be done. Time is just not allowing for even doing that lately.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

As suggested by @asterixsmeagol , I've gone ahead and adjusted the frame to match the 1:78:1 aspect ratio of the show. This requires some slight adjustments to the panning to capture the location cards. I've also included commercial break fadeouts between 9-14 minute segments as they work with the flow of the story. I'll need to also recreate some of the credits to reflect the on screen credits for episodes and also the closing credtis to have the correct names from the movie. Hoping to be able to get that all done this evening. After that, this edit will be ready to go.

 

[asterixsmeagol]

That was a quick turnaround!

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

That was a quick turnaround!

And a bit too lofty. I was able to get the in episode credits done and one previously on the X-Fikes segment, but I still need to make new closing credits for both episodes and do some audio work. I'm also not sure about one of the intro scenes and and how it transitions to the intro titles. It just doesn't have that umph factor I'm looking for.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Two quick questions for those who may be interested in this edit.

1) Should this be Season 5 or Season 6 missing files?
2) Should the first episode have a "previously on the x-files" segment at the beginning?

1 is an easy enough change to make, but 2 would require me to hunt down black oil footage from multiple episodes. I'm not sure if it's needed for the first one. I don't really want to use anything from the season 5 finale as it doesn't really connect to the first episode beyond the x-files being shut down. Perhaps, it could show some scenes of black oil, Mulder and Scully chasing down the truth and then show the X-Files being shut down. Any thoughts?

Now back to working on the closing credits. Here's the current timeline. I've been going back through each scene and panning shots that chop characters out of scenes or don't frame them well due to the 1:78:1 conversion.

 

[asterixsmeagol]

Now that you mention it, Season 5 might actually make more sense since the movie came out a couple of weeks after the end of Season 5, that season only had 20 episodes, and it marks the end of the use of the original sets. You could also then call it episodes 21 and 22 instead of two episodes 0.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Now that you mention it, Season 5 might actually make more sense since the movie came out a couple of weeks after the end of Season 5, that season only had 20 episodes, and it marks the end of the use of the original sets. You could also then call it episodes 21 and 22 instead of two episodes 0.

That makes total sense. Done.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

After too much time than I'd care to admit, the on-screen credits and post credits compelted. Here's a draft of the previously on X-Files segment for episode 22.

 

[Last Impressions]

I think it's the MKV to MP4 conversion issue that's been pointed out a lot. I probably unchecked the needed box that fixes the timestamp issues. I've tried to fix it multiple times and used different files, but I probably just need to do the whole rip process again, hopefully. My Patriot Games edit is basically waiting on a glitch free file to be done. Time is just not allowing for even doing that lately.

Have you tried Clone BD? I never have a problem with it in Vegas. The free version allows you to convert lossless to MP4 . You'll have to rip the audio separately as the audio rips are not up to spec.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Have you tried Clone BD? I never have a problem with it in Vegas. The free version allows you to convert lossless to MP4 . You'll have to rip the audio separately as the audio rips are not up to spec.

Thanks for the tip! I'll look into Clone BD.

 

[bionicbob]

After too much time than I'd care to admit, the on-screen credits and post credits compelted. Here's a draft of the previously on X-Files segment for episode 22.

Nice! All the relevant info there. I would probably bump up the building explosion audio a wee bit. I assume you will be adding the appropriate music to tie it all together and hide some of the old audio?

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Nice! All the relevant info there. I would probably bump up the building explosion audio a wee bit. I assume you will be adding the appropriate music to tie it all together and hide some of the old audio?

Thanks bionicbob! The audio on that explosion is oddly very quiet in the original file. I'll probably just put in a new explosion when putting in music. Appreciate your feedback!