The Culprits

Paul McGrath is from Dublin, Ireland. He studied animation in the renowned Ballyfermot College in Dublin, but has yet to be nominated for an Oscar like some of his peers. After graduating, he went to work for Shepard Films in Dublin for a few months and then moved to LA to work as SFX designer for Hyperion Films. Back in Ireland, he continued specialising in SFX design for Shepard Films, after which he co-founded Kavaleer Productions. He wore several hats in the company –from making tea to producing and everything in between from 1999 to 2003, when he went to Australia for a change of scenery and a break from the rain. There he worked for Liquid Animation, moving swiftly up the ranks –he got to make tea in Australia too. He has also worked as a freelance animator for Oscar nominated –didn’t we tell you?- Brown Bag Films, Coco Television, Keg Kartoonz, Loopline Film and Caboom. Since directing a 3D segment for Leticia’s live-action short Shift, Paul just couldn’t stay away and eventually –a couple of years of eventually- they got together and decided to set up Whackala to pursue their own projects and ideas. Paul has also taught animation and film production in three different colleges in Dublin. He’s currently working on several in house animation projects. For Whackala, he co-directed/produced Forty Foot, co-produced and animated a stop-motion sequence for After The Revolution, as well as co-directing and producing their new short doc and first attempt at crowd funding City Wild.

That was the final photo, but here are the out takes:

Leticia Agudo is from Seville, Spain. At the tender age of 17 she went to Britain to pursue an education and career in the theatre. After drama school –yes, she wanted to be an actress first- and college in London where she found her calling for directing –and bossing people around- she did an MA in Theatre Directing at the University of East Anglia. There she struck an intense, let’s-take-over-the-world friendship with the now comedy writer Rosy Barnes and the multiple accolade collector Louise Drumm. Together, they moved to Louise’s hometown, Dublin, to form Common Currency Theatre Company. They directed, produced, adapted, wrote and designed a few ambitious undertakings. Amongst other productions, Leticia directed The Balcony by Jean Genet, the puppet-human farce Bimbo by Rosy and Alessandro Baricco’s 1900, The Pianist on the Ocean, performed by Donal O’Kelly and translated for the first time into English from Italian by Marella Boschi. Her inclination for visual stagings and narrative, made her continue to direct a couple of puppet plays for Puca Puppets and eventually to study a second Masters in Film Production at the Dublin Institute of Technology. She has since independently produced, directed and edited two live action shorts and worked as 1^st AD, production manager and editor for fiction and documentary. For Whackala she directed and edited their first film together, After the Revolution, and co-directed/produced/edited Forty Foot. She looks forward to get her teeth back into fiction, while enjoying developing further docs and animation ideas with Paul. She is a member of the European Documentary Network and also teaches film and media in Coláiste Dhúlaigh in Dublin.

Leticia’s out takes -she doesn’t get away!