Independent Animation Archives - Animation Podcasts

Independent Animation #11 – Glitch Productions

Ben Mitchell — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 10:02:05 +0000

In the eleventh episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), Skwigly contributor Mel Cionco speaks with Jasmine Yang, General Manager and Development Producer at Glitch Productions.

One of Australia’s largest web animation studios, Glitch Productions grew from YouTube personalities Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul’s enthusiasm for creating comedic online content that would amass them a sizeable following.

After shifting their attentions toward independent animation, as Glitch Productions they would go on to produce several fully-realised animated series outside of the established norms of the traditional studio system, including SMG4, Sunset Paradise, Meta Runner and Murder Drones.

The studio’s recently-released CG pilot, The Amazing Digital Circus created by indie artist and musician Gooseworx, has proved their most well-received endeavour to date, amassing a staggering 180 million+ views at the time of this podcast’s release, two months after it premiered. Described as ‘a psychological dark comedy about cute cartoon characters who hate their lives and want to leave’, the pilot has already built up an enormous and devoted fanbase and the studio have hopes for a full, eight-episode season to follow.

Accompanying the podcast interview with Jasmine Yang, Mel was also able to interview The Amazing Digital Circus creator Gooseworx via email:

As a solo animator and YouTuber, how does the transition from independent solo animation to creating, directing, and writing a full 3D animated pilot with a team and heavy production behind it, feel?

It really is a totally different beast from doing everything by yourself. From the outside, it seems like it’d be easier, but managing a bunch of people, and being able to articulate nuances of what you want is a whole different skillset I wasn’t really prepared for. It took me a while to adjust. Not to mention when you’re doing something completely by yourself, you can get away with being really sloppy in certain aspects, or change things on a whim. In a production pipeline, you really have to know what you want, which was frightening for me, a person who never knows what they want.

Is there anything you would recommend to other independent animators wishing to take the start a similar ambitious project?

If you’re starting out, there’s part of me that’s like “follow your dreams” but there’s also part of me that’s like “This is going to be an unbelievable amount of work, and you’re probably not going to see success for a long while.” I think it really is just finding a balance between aspiration and expectation. I got unbelievably lucky, but I have friends who are a million times more talented than me who can barely afford to finish their projects while also being able to afford food. My good friend Zeurel is a trooper in that regard. Be persistent, but also know how to adapt.

In making Digital Circus, what were some of the limitations you faced in its production?

This is gonna sound weird, but there really weren’t a lot of limitations, at least not from a technical standpoint. Every one of my weird ideas that they were iffy about in terms of “are we actually gonna be able to pull this visual off?” ended up making it into the final product with the help of the incredibly talented team we have. The biggest limitation for me is time. I have a bad habit of making scripts really long, or pacing things out to be way over our limitations. There’s a lot of pre-production time dedicated to keeping me in check and not letting these things get overly bloated with goose slop.

In production were you implement, produce, and showcase most of your initial ideas? If not, what was the biggest change you made?

Everything that was good ended up sticking. Mostly everything that gets cut ends up being jokes that don’t really work, or scenes that could be reworked in a way to where they’re more concise, as well as more entertaining.

Presented by Ben Mitchell and Mel Cionco
Produced by Ben Mitchell
Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Music by Ben Mitchell

The post Independent Animation #11 – Glitch Productions appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #10 – Joseph Wallace

Ben Mitchell — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:56:03 +0000

In the tenth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we catch up with Joseph Wallace whose independent stop-motion short film Salvation Has No Name was released online earlier this year following a strong festival run. Having discussed the film’s unique funding journey for the second edition of the book, Joseph joins the podcast to talk about some of the challenges that presented themselves during production, as well as his approaches to getting the film out there once it was done.

In Salvation Has No Name “A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a Priest and a refugee but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray” – what plays out is a nuanced, emotionally charged and alarmingly evergreen condemnation of xenophobia, othering, refugee crises and discrimination.

Produced by Loran Dunn for Delaval Film alongside RAPT, Animation People in the Czech Republic and France’s Autour de Minuit. With support from BFI Network, the film features an all-female cast headed up by Money Heist’s Itziar Ituño and Quantico’s Yasmine Al Massri, with music by Kit Wilson and sound by David Kamp.

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell
Learn more about Joseph Wallace’s work at www.josephwallace.co.uk

The post Independent Animation #10 – Joseph Wallace appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #9 – Signe Baumane

Ben Mitchell — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 08:32:35 +0000

In the ninth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we welcome back Signe Baumane to discuss her latest indie animated feature film My Love Affair with Marriage, which is about to embark on its US theatrical run following a multi-award-winning festival journey.

My Love Affair With Marriage is an independent animated feature film by Signe Baumane created for an adult audience. The film, a Latvian – USA – Luxembourg co-production, took seven years to make and was financed with the help of 1,685 individual donors along with grants from many arts and cultural institutions.

This fall, My Love Affair With Marriage will have its North American theatrical release opening at Quad Cinema in New York City October 6, 2023. The following week the film will open on the West Coast in Los Angeles October 13, 2023. From October through December – and beyond – the film will screen at cinemas, educational and community settings around the country.

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

Learn more about the film at myloveaffairwithmarriagemovie.com/

The post Independent Animation #9 – Signe Baumane appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #8 – Lackadaisy

Ben Mitchell — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 06:36:11 +0000

In the eighth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), Skwigly contributor Mel Cionco meets Tracy Butler and Fable Siegel, the creative duo behind the smash-hit indie animated short film Lackadaisy.

Adapted from the Eisner-winning comic series of the same name, the highly anticipated, 27-minute film was released at the end of March to much excitement following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020.

Upon its release, Lackadaisy became an online phenomenon, with over 3.5 million views in its first week. Boasting an enormous roster of fantastic artistic talent, a solid cast and engaging music by Sepiatonic, the film has also caught the attention of prominent figures such as indie legend Ralph Bakshi, illustrator Tyson Hesse and director Lilly Wachowski.

Interview conducted by Mel Cionco
Presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

The post Independent Animation #8 – Lackadaisy appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #7 – Sean Buckelew

Ben Mitchell — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 09:09:17 +0000

In the seventh episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we welcome back Sean Buckelew to discuss his latest indie animated short film Drone, which is released online February 5th.

Having received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sean has since worked on projects including We Are Your Friends, Consuming Spirits and the Annie Award-winning animated sequences of He Named Me Malala. His commercial work includes projects for clients spanning Disney Channel, MTV, Arctic Monkeys, VH1, Adult Swim and Apple Podcasts, made alongside his own films such as Another, Lovestreams and I’m Not A Robot.

Produced by Jeanette Jeanenne (GLAS Animation Festival), Drone takes on themes of artificial intelligence, remote warfare, the news media, social media, pareidolia and politics in its story of a Predator drone installed with an ethical AI personality that malfunctions during a crucial press event and goes rogue, embarking on a philosophical and existential odyssey as the world looks on.

Following its premiere at Annecy followed by screenings at OIAF, Sitges, LIAF and our own Skwigly Screening at the Manchester Animation Festival, Drone will be released online this coming Sunday, February 5th (3am February 6th UK time).

See more of Sean’s work at seanbuckelew.com

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book:

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

With the advent of advanced hand-held technology and the widespread nature of the internet, the world of animated filmmaking is more exciting and accessible than ever. Due to this cultural and technological development, the success of independent animated film makers is on the rise. Independent Animation showcases some of the greatest, most innovated giants in the field and helps guide readers through the artistic process and production techniques. Story development, casting, color, distribution, and the intimidating aspects of production are elucidated using various examples from all over the world. Readers will also explore the changing nature of the audiences’ relationship with animation, granting firsthand guidance in navigating the diverse fields of animated film-making.

Available to buy now from Routledge with an updated second edition available to preorder from March 21st.

The post Independent Animation #7 – Sean Buckelew appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #6 – Tonko House

Ben Mitchell — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 14:58:18 +0000

In the sixth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we catch up with Robert Kondo of Tonko House – whose projects include the Oscar-nominated short film The Dam Keeper and its recently-concluded graphic novel series spin-off – to discuss what the independent studio has been up to since branching off from Pixar with fellow alum Dice Tsutsumi.

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book:

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

Available to buy now from Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

The post Independent Animation #6 – Tonko House appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #5 – Remembering Rosto

Ben Mitchell — Wed, 15 May 2019 06:39:16 +0000

In the fifth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we remember the phenomenal work of Dutch filmmaker Rosto, who sadly passed away earlier this year. With a body of work spanning 20 years and all manner of mixed-media approaches, Rosto’s films perfectly married his enthusiasm for music with captivating, dreamlike and, at times, horrifying visual storytelling.

This podcast features our final interview with Rosto (originally conducted for Marimo magazine), discussing the concluding chapter of his Thee Wreckers tetralogy Reruns.

The post Independent Animation #5 – Remembering Rosto appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #4 – Indie Animated Features

Ben Mitchell — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 19:07:37 +0000

In the fourth episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press),, we explore the daunting world of taking on feature-length indie animation with several auteurs who’ve taken the plunge. Building on the book’s explorations of major case studies including well-established artists such as Bill Plympton, Signe Baumane and Nina Paley, in this podcast we meet several relative newcomers in the animation world to learn more about the challenges they faced when both taking on and releasing such mammoth endeavours without a pre-existing fanbase or substantial crew. These include:

Joel Benjamin, director of Where It Floods
Nicholas De Fina, director of LeSeurdmin
Dan Ekis, director of Grey Island

Also in this episode we speak with Natasha Price of Engine House, a Cornwall-based studio who are embarking on their own indie feature Back From The Dead Red thanks to the support of blockchain entertainment studio SingularDTV.

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book:

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

Available to buy now from Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

The post Independent Animation #4 – Indie Animated Features appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #3 – David OReilly

Ben Mitchell — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 08:24:56 +0000

In the third episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we meet David OReilly who, in the past decade, has amassed a significant fanbase through the international success of his independently-produced auteur animation projects Please Say Something and The External World among others.
More recently David’s work has expanded into abstract gaming experiences with 2014’s Mountain and last year’s Everything.

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell
Additional music from The External World composed by Bram Meindersma
Soundtrack available at davidoreilly.com

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book:

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

Available to buy now from Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

The post Independent Animation #3 – David OReilly appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #2 – Late Night Work Club

Ben Mitchell — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 08:19:01 +0000

In the second episode of Independent Animation, our companion podcast series to the Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films (Taylor & Francis/CRC Press), we take a look at the work of “rotating collective” the Late Night Work Club, who last year followed up their 2013 anthology film Ghost Stories with another themed collection of animated shorts titled Strangers.

This episode features exclusive insight about the independent production approaches for the anthology from participating talents:

Charles Huettner (Intro, outtro and interstitials animation)
Sean Buckelew (Lovestreams)
Alex Grigg (Born in a Void)
Jeanette Bonds (Departures)
Loup Blaster (Freedom)
Nicolas Ménard (Wednesday with Goddard)
Kirsten Lepore (Hi Stranger)

Written, presented and produced by Ben Mitchell
Music by Ben Mitchell
Additional music from LNWC by Skillbard and David Kamp

If you enjoyed this episode be sure to check out the book:

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

Available to buy now from Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

The post Independent Animation #2 – Late Night Work Club appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Independent Animation #1 – Introduction

Ben Mitchell — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:42:37 +0000

In the first episode of a brand new podcast series, Skwigly Managing Director Ben Mitchell gives an overview – and reads the introduction – of the first Skwigly tie-in book Independent Animation: Developing, Producing and Distributing Your Animated Films.

Book Features

Covers the entire process of creating an independent animated film, from story development and casting to editing and distribution
Features input from some of the industry’s most noteworthy animation talents and exclusive insight into their working processes
Additional resources and interviews available through a special section of Skwigly Online Animation Magazine

Book Summary

The book is available to buy now from Taylor & Francis/CRC Press.

The post Independent Animation #1 – Introduction appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.