Peter MacDonald (director)

Peter MacDonald (born 20 June 1939[1]) is an English film director, cinematographer, and producer from London, England. A prolific second unit director, MacDonald has worked on various Hollywood blockbusters including Guardians of the Galaxy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Empire Strikes Back.

Peter MacDonald
Born (1939-06-20) 20 June 1939 (age 85)
Willesden, London, England
Occupation(s)Film director
Cinematographer
Film producer
Years active1957–present

Career

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Starting his career in the camera department, MacDonald subsequently spent 10 years as camera operator for renowned cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, working on films including Superman, The Return of the Pink Panther, Murder on the Orient Express and Cabaret. After Unsworth's death in 1978, MacDonald increasingly worked as a second unit director, and as a cinematographer himself.

MacDonald's debut as director, Rambo III, came about at extremely short notice. "I started it without any preparation", he explained in an interview, "because Russell Mulcahy [Rambo III's original director] left after two weeks, so I came into it totally ill-prepared – I was directing the second unit on the film. Literally the day before I left America to start Rambo III I'd finished photographing a film, Shag, in America; came to Israel, thinking I was going to do a second unit which I could slowly get into, and within a week or two I was directing one of the most expensive films ever made."[2] MacDonald has since directed other productions including The NeverEnding Story III and the television mini-series The Monkey King (also known as The Lost Empire). In 2016, MacDonald was hired to direct reshoots during post-production on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

MacDonald currently works most frequently as a second unit director.[3] He has said about this role, "The most important thing about any second unit is that you can't tell the difference between the second unit and the first unit. It must have the stamp of the first unit, both in photography and the style of direction. That's why, when I do second unit, I always photograph and direct, so you try and copy what the first unit does as much as possible. You mustn't be on an ego trip and try and do your own style, because your material has to cut into theirs and it mustn't jar, it must fit in exactly so no-one can tell the difference."[2] MacDonald has directed second unit on such films as X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Bourne Ultimatum, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman (1989), and Cry Freedom.

Selected filmography

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As director

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Year Film Notes
1988 Rambo III
1992 Mo' Money
1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Episode: "The Phantom Train of Doom"
1994 The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia
1996 Tales from the Crypt Episode "Escape"
1998 Legionnaire
2000 The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave
2001 The Lost Empire TV Miniseries

As producer

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Year Film Notes
1989 Tango & Cash Executive producer
1990 Graffiti Bridge
1996 The Quest
1998 Legionnaire Producer
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Co-producer

As camera operator

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Year Film
1972 Cabaret
1974 Murder on the Orient Express
Zardoz
1975 The Return of the Pink Panther
1978 Superman The Movie
1980 Superman II
1983 Yentl
1985 Legend

As cinematographer

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Year Film
1986 Solarbabies
1987 Hamburger Hill
1989 Shag

As second unit director

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Year Film Director
1979 Zulu Dawn Douglas Hickox
1981 Dragonslayer Matthew Robbins
Excalibur John Boorman
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II George P. Cosmatos
1986 Labyrinth Jim Henson
1987 Cry Freedom Richard Attenborough
1989 Batman Tim Burton
Tango & Cash Andrei Konchalovsky
1992 Radio Flyer Richard Donner
1996 The Quest Jean-Claude Van Damme
1997 Batman and Robin Joel Schumacher
2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Chris Columbus
2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Alfonso Cuarón
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Mike Newell
2006 Eragon Stefen Fangmeier
2007 The Golden Compass Chris Weitz
The Bourne Ultimatum Paul Greengrass
2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Gavin Hood
2010 Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Chris Columbus
2013 Jack the Giant Slayer Bryan Singer
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy James Gunn

As second unit photographer

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Year Film
1979 Zulu Dawn
1981 Excalibur
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II
1986 Labyrinth
1987 Cry Freedom
1989 Batman

References

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  1. ^ In Conversation with Cinematographers. 16 July 2015. ISBN 9781442251106.
  2. ^ a b A Dark Night in Gotham City, Starlog issue 142, May 1989, pp. 37-40.
  3. ^ [1] Filmography by year for Peter MacDonald at IMDb
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