Duncan McDonald - Editor
I’m a creative and versatile editor with a meticulous eye for detail, a good technical understanding and a strong sense of comedic and dramatic timing.
I’ve worked on a wide range of projects over the past 13 years: from high-end commercial work to specialist television series, long-form documentaries and dramas.
I’m proficient with Adobe Premiere and After Effects, Final Cut Pro and Da Vinci Resolve. I also have a background in graphics and music, so I can tailor my services to suit most productions.
I’m based in Cheltenham, UK but happy to travel or edit remotely. Please use the contact details below to get in touch.
Example Work
Brett’s Story
Documentary / Human Interest
A 10-minute documentary about a reformed drug addict turned motivational speaker. I constructed the film using material shot for a broader feature documentary.
Credit: Halo Films
The Operator (2022)
Short Film / Sci-Fi
I edited this short film for director Matt Riley in 2022. The edit was relatively straightforward so I also created the sounds of the machinery and had some fun mixing vocal performances with background noise and effects to create what is hopefully a compelling drama. The film was selected for 33 film festivals and won 14 awards.
Credit: Screen Northants
Refocusing on Conservation - Mauricio Copetti
Documentary / Wildlife Conservation
I edited this film about wildlife filmmaker Mauricio Copetti and his conservation efforts in Brazil’s Pantanal region. The film was produced by Filmakers for Future: Wildlife and shown at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. More information HERE
Credit: Filmakers for Future: Wildlife
The Place of My Birth (2016)
Short Film / Sci-Fi
This was Robot Dinosaur’s entry to the 2015 Sci Fi London 48hr Film Challenge. Teams were allocated a title, a line of dialogue and a prop and then given 48 hours to write, shoot and edit a film encompassing all three criteria. I edited the film during a particularly caffeine-heavy all-nighter. The film subsequently won Best Short Film at the 2017 RTS West Television Awards.
Directed by Matt Harris-Freeth
Aerial Warfare - Harry’s Story
Documentary / History
A WW2 rear-guard bomber shares memories of his first bombing raid. This is just one story from a short documentary I edited for the National Museum of Flight in Scotland.
Credit: Yoho Media
Fostering Change
Documentary / Human Interest
A short clip from a 30-minute documentary about Jodi Orton, a US-based advocate for child fostering.
Credit: Halo Films
Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Documentary / Wildlife Conservation
A short clip from an hour-long WWT documentary about the efforts of conservationists to rescue the elusive Spoon-billed Sandpiper from the brink of extinction. All footage was shot by the conservationists themselves.
Credit: WWT
Documentary Editing Showreel
Showreel
My previous showreel. All content is from long-form documentary projects. I created the space shots and processed the tilt shift sequences in After Effects.
Music Credit: Hans Zimmer
Offline to Online Demo
Demo
This is the opening sequence from a documentary about Peak District history. I applied a day-to-night colour grade to the sequence and then tracked in rain, storm clouds, lightning bolts and candle light to heighten the atmosphere.
Credit: Peak In The Past
Contact me
e: duncmcdonald@gmail.com
t: (+44)7791 607883
Gloucester Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
UK