Mark McDonald was an assistant cameraman with Movietonews in Australia, who was assigned to Paul Wyand [qv] when he broke his wrist whilst filming the Royal tour of Australia in February 1954. Wyand recalled that he was ‘a charming companion, whose material turned out to be really first-class.' Soon afterwards an overseas assignment brought McDonald to London, where he decided to stay. However, as Terry Gallacher [qv] recalled, McDonald ‘found it extremely difficult to obtain a union ticket’: ‘He finally succeeded in 1961 when he joined Movietone.' McDonald was then credited for a number of Movietone stories, beginning with ‘BRITISH GAMES’ in British Movietone News No.1668A of May 1961. In 1963 McDonald accompanied the Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand, sending back a series of reports beginning with ‘ROYAL JOURNEY’ in No.1757A of February 1963 and ending with ‘THROUGH THE OUTBACK’ in No.1764 of March 1963. McDonald appears in the Movietone staff list for January 1964, but his last credit is for ‘HOME FROM TOKIO’ in No.1847A from October 1964. McDonald left Movietone soon afterwards, and became a freelance director of photography.
Sources
P. Wyand ‘Useless if Delayed’ (1959), pp.240-45: BUFVC, T. M. Gallacher, ‘Additional Notes,' October 1998.
