Sadly, John Bartley, who was instrumental in the creation of Lost and The X-Files, passed away at the age of 78.
The Daily Mail says that the Emmy-winning cameraman d!ed in Los Angeles on Sunday. His close friend, Australian director Polly Pierce, verified the news on social media.
Pierce stated, I regret to inform you of the passing of my longtime mentor and close friend, cinematographer John S. Bartley ASC CSC. If it weren’t for John and his innovative work on @thexfilestv, I wouldn’t be in the movie theater.
Bartley’s work as a visual storyteller lasted for decades and had a huge effect on TV and movies.
The X-Files had a creepy and ominous look thanks in large part to his work, especially in the first three seasons, when his dark cinematography set the mood for the show.
For his work, he was nominated for two Primetime Emmys and three American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards. His contribution on the 1996 episode “Grotesque” earned him the coveted Emmy Award.
Bartley was also good at other famous projects, including Lost, where he showed off the beauty and mystery of the tropics.
His work on Lost won him more Emmy nominations, which helped him stay in the business.
The Mirror says that his many credits included Bates Motel, Wu Assassins, First Blood, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the 2014 RoboCop reboot.
Bartley was born in 1947 in Wellington, New Zealand, to a theater cashier and a career Army officer. When his father passed away at the age of 53, he had a difficult time.
He and his brother spent time at their mother’s ticket counter at the local theater, where they saw live plays and musicals that made him want to tell stories.
Bartley worked as an electrician after high school before moving to Sydney when he was 20.
He started working as a lighting director for TV and theater there. He subsequently traveled to Vancouver, where he worked as a gaffer and learnt from famous cinematographers including Sven Nykvist, Hiro Narita, Tak Fujimoto, and Bob Stevens.
By the middle of the 1980s, Bartley was already well-known in the business, having worked on music videos and advertisements. He directed photography for the independent film Beyond the Stars, which starred Martin Sheen, and this was his first feature film.
Bartley started working in TV on shows like Roswell, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish, but his big break came in 1993 with The X-Files.
Bartley worked closely with series creator Chris Carter to establish the show’s unique visual style, which had a lasting effect on culture.
FOX via Getty Images
He had a cinematic flair that shown in movies like The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Odd Girl Out, Another Life, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Wrong Turn.
He has also been in The Good Doctor, Vikings, Roswell, and Wu Assassins, among other shows, making a lasting impression in many different types of shows.
In recognition of his distinctive contributions to the field of cinematography, Bartley joined the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) in 1997.
He won many awards over the years, including Emmy nominations for Lost and Bates Motel, which showed how talented and dedicated he was to his work.
Bartley once said about his job, “The best advice I can give anyone is that there is nothing easy about working in this industry.” You have to love it, since working 70 to 80 hours a week is hard on your family life. Not everyone can accomplish it.