Skwigly

Skwigly
Editor-in chiefBen Mitchell
EditorSteve Henderson
Feature editorLaura-Beth Cowley
CategoriesVisual arts
FrequencyDaily
PublisherDavid R. Smith
FounderDavid R. Smith
Founded12 April 2005[1]
CompanySkwigly Ltd.
Based inUnited Kingdom
LanguageBritish English
Websitewww.skwigly.co.uk

Skwigly, also known as Skwigly Animation Magazine, is an independent British online magazine that focuses on animation, whether with interviews, reviews, videos, tutorials, news, or podcasts.[2] In April 2005, it began its print run with 10,000 copies for £3.50 British Pounds at the newsstand.[1]

This includes Hollywood movies and independent short films.[3] In order to fund their publication, they appeal to advertisers for support[4] and to their readers for donations.[5] As of 2020, Ben Mitchell is the editor-in-chief, Steve Henderson is the editor, Aaron Wood is the managing director and writer, Laura-Beth Cowley is the features editor, and over 60 people are writers for the publication.[6]

Origins

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In March 2000, the domain name for Swigly was first registered,[7] as the magazine positioned themselves as a British Animation World Network,[8] but they later, seemingly, went out of business sometime before October 2003,[9] with the domain later used as a directory to animation links.[10] By April 2004, the website had changed over to the Skwigly magazine, attempting to attract people of all types interested in animation.[11][12] Later that year, an additional domain titled biganimation.com would be registered for those that could not remember the usual URL.[13] Over a year later, in April 2005, the publication began its print run, with support from volunteers, sponsors and advertisers in the animation industry, while receiving funding from the Welsh Development Agency and printing done by a family-run press.[1] At the time, Smith served as the publisher and founding editor, while Wade Konowalchuk was the editor, Amy Hodman was associate editor, and Giselle Fox was another associate editor, along with a number of other contributors.[1] Also in 2005, Alan Titchmarsh and Tony Collingwood of Gordon the Garden Gnome were interviewed on the site.[14]

Later years

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In the years that followed, the site reviewed animations like Chicken Little,[15] talked about CGI techniques in The Polar Express,[16] Max Fleischer,[17] conducted various interviews,[18] including one with Nicolas Menard of Loop Ring Chop Drink,[19] and had articles about mentors in the animation industry.[20] In 2014, the site ran a piece about how to "survive and thrive as a freelance animator."[21] The following year, Skwigly announced the beginning of "a series of short film screenings" called This Is Not A Cartoon, in partnership with Flim Hub North Worst Central and the British Film Institute, alongside workshops and interviews.[22][23][24] Then, in 2016, Steve Henderson, the editor of Skwigly, who was also the co-director of the Manchester Animation Festival, attended the Cardiff Independent Film Festival, and served as part of a jury for the CIFF Best Animation Award.[25] In later years, from 2017 to 2019, Skwigly ran a quiz challenge to challenge those attending the Manchester Animation Festival on their "animation knowledge," giving out prizes for those who win.[26][27][28][29] Also, in 2017, Steve Henderson of Skwigly contributed to Mark Collington's book, Animation in Context: A Practical Guide to Theory and Making by serving as an informal adviser on the content.[30]

Features

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The site features interviews,[31] reviews of books, events, and films.[32] It also showcases various podcasts,[33] tutorials,[34] recent films,[35] and events relating to animation.[36] The publication additionally focuses on business in the animation industry,[37] lists animation courses,[38] lists what they argue are some of the best animated shorts,[39] and focuses on independent animation.[40] As such, The Etherington Brothers called the publication an "amazing resource" for those who are illustrators and animators,[41] while others call it an important website for news about animation.[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Smith, David R. (April 2, 2005). "Skwigly – The Big Animation Magazine Now Available for UK and World Fans of all Things Animated" (Press release). United Kingdom: PR Web. Skwigly. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  2. ^ "About Skwigly Animation Magazine". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Skwigly Online Animation Magazine". British Council. 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Advertise with Skwigly". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "Support Skwigly – Donation". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Skwigly Writers". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Whois Record for SkWigLy.co.uk". Whois.DomainTools.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Deneroff, Harvey (March 21, 2016). "Skwigly is Back". Official websire of Harvey Deneroff. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020. Deneroff is a scholar who focuses on film and independent animation.
  9. ^ "Hosting UK Holding Page". Animation Magazine. October 9, 2003. Archived from the original on October 9, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2003.
  10. ^ Lambert, Rae (March 21, 2016). "Skwigly the world wide human-edited animation links directory". Rae Lambert. Archived from the original on October 26, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Lambert, Rae (April 7, 2004). "About the Skwigly Animation Magazine". Skwigly Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 7, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Homepage of Skwigly Animation Magazine". Skwigly Animation Magazine. April 6, 2004. Archived from the original on April 6, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  13. ^ "Skwigly Animation Magazine, News, Interviews, Reviews, Business, Technology and Entertainment – UK based". Skwigly Animation Magazine. June 9, 2004. Archived from the original on June 9, 2004. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Homepage of Skwigly Animation Magazine". Skwigly Animation Magazine. June 15, 2005. Archived from the original on June 15, 2005. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  15. ^ "Homepage of Skwigly Animation Magazine". Skwigly Animation Magazine. August 30, 2005. Archived from the original on August 30, 2005. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Tanya, Dellaccio (2017). Computer Animation: Telling Stories with Digital Art. New York City: Greenhaven Publishing LLC. p. 94. ISBN 978-1534560970.
  17. ^ Phillips, Audri (2019). "The Intersections of Creativity, Technology, and the Mind". In Ford Morie, Stephanie; McCallum, Kate (eds.). Handbook of Research on the Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media. Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global. p. 140. ISBN 978-1799824343.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Ben (2017). Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-1351599214.
  19. ^ Osgood, Adam (2018). "The Blurry Intersection of Illustration and Animation". In Stone, R. Brian; Wahlin, Leah (eds.). The Theory and Practice of Motion Design: Critical Perspectives and Professional Practice. Abingdon-on-Thames, England, UK: Routledge. pp. 215, 218. ISBN 978-1351034531.
  20. ^ Ward, Paul (2013). "Animation studies as an indisciplinary teaching field". In Buchan, Suzanne (ed.). Pervasive Animation. Abingdon-on-Thames, England, UK: Routledge. p. 337. ISBN 978-1136519550.
  21. ^ Williams, Alex (February 3, 2014). "Animation Apprentice featured in Skwigly!". Animation Apprentice. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  22. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (April 21, 2015). "C BFI, Film Hub North West & Skwigly Launch 'This Is Not A Cartoon'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  23. ^ "This is Not a Cartoon – in collaboration with Skwigly On-Line Animation Magazine". STORE – Staffordshire Online Repository. Staffordshire University. April 4, 2018. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Skwigly's This is Not a Cartoon: Young People's Programme". Time Out England. August 19, 2015. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  25. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 21, 2016). "CIFF Reveals Inaugural Animation Fest Plans". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  26. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 2, 2019). "Manchester Animation Fest Spotlights 'Klaus', Aardman, Michael Dudok de Wit". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  27. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (October 2, 2018). "Manchester Animation Fest Full Program Revealed". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 25, 2017). "Manchester Animation Fest Reveals 2017 Program". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  29. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 12, 2017). "Cardiff Animation Nights Unveils 2017 CIFF Selection". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Collington, Mark (2017). Animation in Context: A Practical Guide to Theory and Making. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 248. ISBN 978-1350033894.
  31. ^ "Interviews: A-Z". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  32. ^ "Reviews". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  33. ^ "Skwigly Animation Podcasts". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  34. ^ "Tutorials". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  35. ^ "Showcase". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  36. ^ "Animation Events". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  37. ^ "Business". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  38. ^ "Animation Courses (UK)". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  39. ^ "100 Greatest Animated Shorts". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  40. ^ "Independent Animation". Skwigly. 2020. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  41. ^ The Etherington Brothers (April 5, 2018). "HUGE new interview for SKWIGLY – the online ANIMATION MAGAZINE!". The Etherington Brothers official Blogspot. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  42. ^ Davies, Gareth (August 11, 2017). "Animation Composed: A Skwigly Podcast". The Sound Boutique. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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