Leticia is also an educator. She leads and lectures in the BA year in Film & TV Production in Col\u00e1iste Dh\u00falaigh College of Further Education, in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton. She\u2019s a member of Women in Film and Television Ireland, The Writers Guild of Ireland and the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNY Glam: What projects are you currently working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a short visual comedy that I wrote and directed starting its festival run titled #NanaRocks<\/em> (Chicago Irish, Love your Shorts, Toronto Irish, LA International Children\u2019s film festivals); I have two features and a series in development (comedy and comedy-dramas, including the finalist at ISC, Casa de Sullivan<\/em>) and I\u2019m co-writing other long-form projects. There are a couple of more visually ambitious shorts, some written by frequent collaborators, that I would like to direct this year before moving onto series and features. I\u2019m also writing and producing the animation series for children The Grumpy Onion<\/em>, created by my husband and cofounder of my company Whackala, Paul McGrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A film that draws you into the stories with both drama and humour, without oversimplifying or the use of easy sentimentality. Great story, great characters that don\u2019t need to be explained, whether they have negative or positive qualities. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: <\/strong>As a screenwriter, what is the most important aspect of building a character?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, most of them have at least a bit of the screenwriter and are also drawn from observing people. They should connect with the viewer in their quirks without the need to explain the reason why they act in certain ways. From the story, context, and the way they act and speak, we should know why, we don\u2019t need to like them, but should understand where they\u2019re coming from<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: Top 3 favorite projects that you have been involved in?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The animation short comedy Lady Betty<\/em> which I produced for Whackala and is still in its festival run. Writing Casa de Sullivan<\/em> and developing and prepping other projects with frequent collaborators (the short #NanaRocks<\/em> co-produced with Whackala colleague Bobby Moloney and with DoP Jaro Waldeck, a female DoP with whom I\u2019m working on all live-action films for the last 7 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooking! Love it. I \u2013 try to \u2013 recreate my mum\u2019s great half-invented recipes and make my own; a hotch-potch of influences and a dollop of experimentation -asking my loved ones to be guineapigs, especially Paul. I teach Film Production as well and try to act as an exec producer for the student\u2019s own short films, to try to help them put across their vision on the screen. I get involved and need to keep it creative, otherwise there\u2019s no point. It\u2019s not about formulas or learning how programmes or tools work. Idea and script development are key, as well as visual narrative when bringing the finished script to the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career in filmmaking?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re in it for the long haul; be prepared for a lot of rejection; do it because you love it and have stories to tell that aren\u2019t influenced by trends. Lastly, it\u2019s good to have something else to support yourself financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: What can we expect from you in this actual year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to direct one or two more ambitious shorts and line myself to direct a longer project \u2013 hopefully Casa by next year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: Where can everyone keep up with you to learn more? \u2026social media\u2026website<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whackala website and own page within it: https:\/\/whackala.com\/leticia-agudo\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whackala Twitter (yep, still using it): https:\/\/twitter.com\/Whackala<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook Profile https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/leticia.agudo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n