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I couldn't see if this has been posted yet, so here goes...
Matt Nix is intereviewed in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Script magazine. It's a great article -- scanned here for ya'll to see - especially the fantabulous pics of Spy Nix! You can find the mag at Barnes&Noble, etc. so go pick up a copy
(click on thumbnails to see pages, then click on pic for larger size)
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Wow.
This interview was ALL kinds of awesome. Seriously, this is probably THE best Burn Notice-related interview I've ever read. What a fantastic find, NatashaFatale! Thank you so much for posting it.
I wanted to make a couple of comments about the interview. The first thing is more of an observation, in that it's interesting to note that Matt Nix had never worked in television before Burn Notice (not even as a writer, apparently). I think this is part of the reason Burn Notice strikes me as being a rather unusual show (authentic, not cynical, funny and witty, but not pretentious). Granted, I don't have a whole lot of experience with watching television. But Burn Notice seems rather unique to me. As I read this, I wondered if one of the reasons why the show is unique is because Matt Nix was (wonderfully enough) given the opportunity to mann the helm of his own show without having had years of experiences that left him jaded? Just a thought...
The other thing Matt Nix said that stood out to me was this:
QUOTE
“[excerpted]...So, we really have to engineer problems each episode so that it demands the use of spy craft.”
Nix punctuates this point by taking an old cell phone and attaching it to several sticks of dynamite with duct tape. To the untrained eye, this contraption looks a lot like a bomb. To the trained eye, it actually is a bomb. Nix just smiles and refers to the device in his hands as a “contingency plan.” Then adding, “It’s funny. It’s sort of a breezy show. The characters banter a lot. But because we’re not Michael Westens, people don’t think about all the math that goes into working out one of these plots. It takes a lot of work.”
Yes. I *know* this is true. I know it, because I've read many reviews of Burn Notice - complimentary reviews, mind you, but nonetheless reviews where the reviewer will mention something about how the show is "lightweight," "breezy," "fluffy," and so on. And I find that to be exasperating because I feel the narrative is pretty complex, actually! But you'd never know it, because the writers do a fantastic job at hiding the complexity of the narrative structure itself. It's kind of like those original Christian Dior dresses -- pretty little frilly confections with lots of bustle and draping fabric on the outside, but quite a complex feat of fashion engineering from the inside, you know? Matt Nix is right: it takes a lot of skill and effort to tell a breezy story with elegance, style, humor *and* depth -- and that's what Matt Nix and his writing team do so well. [And the exceptional cast informs the writing. The combination of the two is what pushes Burn Notice to the head of the class in my opinion.]
Anyway, enough rambling for one day, ha ha. Just wanted to send a big, big thank you to interviewer Aaron Ginsburg for giving us BN fans such a great interview with Matt Nix! [Oh -- and yeah, I LOVED those photos of Matt Nix. How cool is he! ]
This post has been edited by PhilippaConnors: Jan 13 2009, 02:34 PM
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QUOTE (NatashaFatale @ Jan 13 2009, 12:59 PM)
I couldn't see if this has been posted yet, so here goes...
Matt Nix is intereviewed in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Script magazine. It's a great article -- scanned here for ya'll to see - especially the fantabulous pics of Spy Nix! You can find the mag at Barnes&Noble, etc. so go pick up a copy
(click on thumbnails to see pages, then click on pic for larger size)
Thanks for the great read! I loved the ending.................Matt Nix is MW You can tell the man is enjoying himself. I wish him the best and hope to watch everything else he creates.
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QUOTE (elisetx @ Jan 13 2009, 05:56 PM)
Thanks for the great read! I loved the ending.................Matt Nix is MW You can tell the man is enjoying himself. I wish him the best and hope to watch everything else he creates.
I LOVED this interview!!!! Seriously -- I loved every single thing about it and thought it was brilliant. Who can resist the action story set-up, with the actual interview from Matt Nix coming across as a series of Michael Westen voiceovers?! Who, I ask??? ROTFL!!!!
And the photos of Matt Nix as a spy, with the interviewer crouching down next to him looking apprehensive at cool spy Matt Nix, but nonetheless with his trusty microphone in tow... It was some kind of wonderful, that's for sure! Thank you again to the talented Aaron Goldberg for a great read (and for Matt Nix, for just being so freaking cool).
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Thanks so much for sharing this! As others mentioned, it was all kinds of awesome. Such a clever and engaging read!
--------------------
The feeling of putting yourself on the line and really putting your talent out there, and betting on yourself and having it work, is the most exhilarating feeling in the world.” ~ Conan O'Brien
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For some bizarre reason I couldn't get the article to upload. Guess it's off to Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Center for a read. Thanks for letting us know about it however. And yes, Matt Nix ROCKS!!!!!!
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I am definitely going to buy a copy of this magazine -- I'm curious about what other articles/interviews are in it, now that I've read this one! NatashaFatale, does it say anything about the interviewer/writer of this article (Aaron Ginsberg) anywhere in the magazine? i.e., is he a screenwriter? I did a cursory google search on him and see a couple of things that are screenwriter-related...
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QUOTE (NatashaFatale @ Jan 13 2009, 11:59 AM)
I couldn't see if this has been posted yet, so here goes...
Matt Nix is intereviewed in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Script magazine. It's a great article -- scanned here for ya'll to see - especially the fantabulous pics of Spy Nix! You can find the mag at Barnes&Noble, etc. so go pick up a copy
(click on thumbnails to see pages, then click on pic for larger size)
Thank you sooo much NatashaFatale! I just called the Barnes & Noble closest to me and I now have a copy of the magazine on "hold" for me after giving my credit card number to purchase the magazine. There were only five copies of the magazine left..........!!!!!!!!(at this particular Barnes & Noble)
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QUOTE (NatashaFatale @ Jan 13 2009, 01:59 PM)
I couldn't see if this has been posted yet, so here goes...
Matt Nix is intereviewed in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Script magazine. It's a great article -- scanned here for ya'll to see - especially the fantabulous pics of Spy Nix! You can find the mag at Barnes&Noble, etc. so go pick up a copy
(click on thumbnails to see pages, then click on pic for larger size)
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QUOTE (NatashaFatale @ Jan 13 2009, 01:59 PM)
I couldn't see if this has been posted yet, so here goes...
Matt Nix is intereviewed in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Script magazine. It's a great article -- scanned here for ya'll to see - especially the fantabulous pics of Spy Nix! You can find the mag at Barnes&Noble, etc. so go pick up a copy
(click on thumbnails to see pages, then click on pic for larger size)
That was a FANTASTIC interview! It's a really good insight into how they put episodes together - they make it look so easy!! LOL!
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QUOTE (PhilippaConnors @ Jan 15 2009, 01:28 PM)
I am definitely going to buy a copy of this magazine -- I'm curious about what other articles/interviews are in it, now that I've read this one! NatashaFatale, does it say anything about the interviewer/writer of this article (Aaron Ginsberg) anywhere in the magazine? i.e., is he a screenwriter? I did a cursory google search on him and see a couple of things that are screenwriter-related...
Thanks again for posting it, Natasha!
Most welcome, everyone
It's the Oscar issue, so it's a good one. There is even an interview with the writer of JD's movie The Changeling, as well as the writers of The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, etc.
In the contributors section, they say this about JD's interviewer:
QUOTE (Script magazine)
Aaron Ginsburg, with his longtime writing partner Wad McIntyre, recently wrote the narration for the documentary Food Fight. Before that, they wrote Activision's award-winning console game Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. Their short film A Ninja Pays Half My Rent was an official selection of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and they write for G4's Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke.
This post has been edited by NatashaFatale: Jan 16 2009, 10:47 AM
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QUOTE (NatashaFatale @ Jan 16 2009, 10:46 AM)
... In the contributors section, they say this about JD's interviewer:
QUOTE
Aaron Ginsburg, with his longtime writing partner Wad McIntyre, recently wrote the narration for the documentary Food Fight. Before that, they wrote Activision's award-winning console game Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. Their short film A Ninja Pays Half My Rent was an official selection of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and they write for G4's Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke.
Thank you NatashaFatale, I appreciate it! It really was an inspired interview. I look forward to reading the interview with Changeling's writer as well! Thanks again.
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I picked up a copy of the magazine this morning at the bookstore -- wow, this is a really cool magazine! I LOVED the article about character arcs ("The Case Against Character Arcs"). Siggy mentioned this article in an e-mail she sent me the other day. I also enjoyed hearing about the great screenplays from Oscar winning movies. Truth be told, the whole magazine was just really awesome and I wanted to drop back by here and encourage everyone to stop by the bookstore and check it out if they can.
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QUOTE (PhilippaConnors @ Jan 19 2009, 09:48 PM)
I picked up a copy of the magazine this morning at the bookstore -- wow, this is a really cool magazine! I LOVED the article about character arcs ("The Case Against Character Arcs"). Siggy mentioned this article in an e-mail she sent me the other day. I also enjoyed hearing about the great screenplays from Oscar winning movies. Truth be told, the whole magazine was just really awesome and I wanted to drop back by here and encourage everyone to stop by the bookstore and check it out if they can.
Thanks again, natashafatale!
I ordered it Phi, will be getting it, soon! Thanks again to Natashafatale for posting the link. And thanks to Mr Nix for sharing so much in the interview! Cant wait for the premiere thursday! Peace, Gia
Matt Nix interview in Jan Feb 09 Script Magazine, Inside the Writing of Burn Notice
Jan 13 2009, 12:59 PM
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You can tell the man is enjoying himself. I wish him the best and hope to watch everything else he creates.
