Movement At Move Madly: A Special Post

The newsletter is growing.

Dear readers,

In January, I launched this newsletter with a post in which I retraced my experiences to date as a journalist and critic writing about animation. As I noted then, this remains a smallish field, and my career has inevitably followed an improvised, zig-zagging course. Starting a Substack was the latest experiment; I had no idea where it would lead me.

From there, things moved, well, madly. One hundred people subscribed in the first day. That number now stands at over one thousand, and includes writers and filmmakers I admire, several of whom have said kind things about the newsletter. Most rewardingly, many of you readers have weighed in on the topics I’ve covered, whether in the comment section or on social media, turning the newsletter into a kind of sprawling conversation.

All this has given me new confidence that there is appetite for accessible, opinionated writing on animation, particularly the kinds of animation that tend to be ignored by more mainstream publications (be they older films, challenging independent works, or titles from countries that aren’t the US/Japan/in Europe). Your readership has spurred me on, and I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent writing, editing, and gorging on obscure library books à la Shizuku in Whisper of the Heart.

So far, this has stayed extracurricular. Until now, I kept the newsletter entirely free, partly out of an English squeamishness to talk money, but mostly because I want the works and subjects I write about to find as wide an audience as possible (which is the reason why I started Move Madly in the first place). Yet this kind of writing can only be taken so far as a hobby. Writing is only one part of my career; another is searching for ways to make this work sustainable.

So, from this week, I’m introducing bonus content behind a paywall. I’ve tried to strike a balance. I’ll continue to publish free articles at the pace I’ve kept so far: roughly twice a month. In other words, nothing is changing for free subscribers.

Paying subscribers will receive additional posts in which I’ll write about some of the most beautiful and exciting animation out there. The aim is to eventually publish these posts as regularly as the free ones, and the dream is to develop Move Madly even further. How far it grows depends on how many of you feel able to support it financially.

I’ve opted for a price near the bottom end of what Substack allows: £5/month, which is less than the cost of a pint in a London pub (although that’s more an indictment of this economy than anything else). You can upgrade below:

Those who really believe in what I’m doing—and want to express this monetarily—can become a Founding Member, and opt for an annual subscription at a price of their choosing above the standard rate. I will consider you to be a god on a par with Yuri Norstein.

The first paywalled post will drop within the week. A free one will follow next Tuesday, as usual.

To those who sign up: thank you. Your contributions will go toward the time I spend on Move Madly, helping support independent journalism and develop this young platform for critical writing about animation.

That said, I understand that paying isn’t an option for everyone (thanks again, economy). So let me emphatically say to everyone reading, writing in and spreading the word: your dedication means the world to me, and has helped get Move Madly past its half-birthday. Without you, it would have just been me yodelling into the void.

Thanks again for sticking with me so far. Here’s to another half-birthday and beyond.

Alex