Meet Abbey Letizia | Film Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abbey Letizia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abbey, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance is really important to me. Especially being in the film industry where it’s hard to maintain a life outside of your job because the hours are crazy and often projects have such tight deadlines. Currently, I’m in my work all the time era, which I have to admit isn’t great. My masters degree I’m finishing up in the next 6 months is incredibly demanding but so rewarding. It’s hard to separate my work and my life because the people I’m at school with everyday are also the people I hang out with on the weekends to unwind, so it’s tough to not talk about work all the time. I’m ok with working a lot at this point in my life. I’m grinding to reach my goals and to make some great films that I’m proud of and that can impact people in some way. I’ll work on evening out the balance in the future!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a film editor, I sit in a dark room alone for hours and do the final rewrite of the film. It can be really tedious work sometimes, but I love it! I am most excited about my short film I am editing early 2023 which combines my favorite things: comedy, coming of age, and LGBTQ+ themes. I am passionate about making films that can make an impact on it’s audience members and can be relatable on some degree. I believe the purpose of film is to entertain and to allow you to step away from your real life and enjoy someone else’s.

I came to Los Angeles with little to no experience in editing, and actually no experience editing on Avid Media Composer. It was towards the end of the pandemic, I moved half way across the world to a foreign place where I knew no one. It was an adventure! AFI made me feel extremely welcomed and I have learnt so much in the past year and a half and have connected with some really talented filmmakers and now lifelong friends. There have been some really tough times where I was so busy I basically lived at the school and hadn’t gone grocery shopping in weeks, but there have also been some big highs and wins. I’ve gotten to know myself really well and am so proud of how far I’ve come since I moved here.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was coming to Los Angeles, I would obviously have to take her to the Hollywood lookout to get a good photo of the sign. Once that’s ticked off the list, I would take her to some of my favorite restaurants like Beachwood Cafe, Little Dom’s, Bacari Restaurant and House of Pies for the real American experience. Next, we would roadtrip to Malibu, go for a swim at Zuma Beach and get some seafood at Malibu Seafood, who are known for their fish tacos.

One of my other favorite things to do in LA is to go to the Los Feliz Flea market every Saturday, and if she’s lucky, we might also get up at 5am to hit the Rose Bowl Flea for some thrift finds. Additionally, a Griffith Park hike to the Observatory can’t be missed!

If we’re up for a boogie, Zebulon is one of my favorite clubs, but for a more chill night, 4100 or Hyperion Public are places you can often find me and my friends on a Saturday night. A week is not long enough, there is so much to do!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shoutout to a few important people that definitely are the reason that I’m here in Los Angeles pursuing film editing. Firstly my parents, duh. They are the people who have supported me and pushed me to move across the world and work on making a career out here. Without them I would still be in Australia working at a fish and chip shop.

Secondly, my mentor from my undergrad degree, Pete Gurbiel, who wrote an incredible recommendation letter for me, which definitely is the reason I got into my dream school. He was the start of my education in film and a true inspiration for me.

And third, my beautiful friends and fellow editors at AFI who help me with tech issues, push me to think outside the box and allow me to be extremely weird and creative with my editing. I appreciate all of you and my journey at AFI would be a completely different one without all of you!

Website: https://wemetatcamp.wixsite.com/abbey-letizia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbeyletizia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-letizia-b74914190/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbey.letizia

Image Credits
Ilayda Cetinkaya