U of A's Pryor Center Hosts Talk With British Filmmaker on Visual Storytelling

Photo provided by Bucy McDonald

British documentary filmmaker Bucy McDonald working on a project.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – British documentary filmmaker Bucy McDonald will talk about ways to tell compelling and complex stories at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History located at One East Center Street, Suite 120 on the Fayetteville Square.

McDonald will discuss how to tell difficult, personal stories on film, from pitching ideas to balancing technical and editorial challenges when scripting and structuring a film. The event is free and open to the public.

“Storytelling is at the heart of her work,” said Larry Foley, a fellow documentarian and chair of the U of A’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media in its J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “She’s very talented and has a gift for taking really complex stories and telling them with a creative and visual flair.” 

Foley will moderate the presentation, which will include video samples of McDonald’s films.

McDonald is a veteran producer and director, who has made films for global brands and collaborated with some of the best industry specialists in the world.

As senior producer at the Natural History Museum in London, McDonald is responsible for creating high-quality films for exhibitions and the museum’s digital channels. She is a former producer and director for BBC Television, where she filmed on location in the United Kingdom, Europe, U.S., New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines, often responsible for shoots on racetracks, in boats, on land and underwater. 

Her BBC credits include Meet the Ancestors (BBC History for BBC 2), Tomorrow’s World (BBC Science for BBC 1), Journeys to the Bottom of the Sea (BBC Science for BBC 2 and Discovery Channel) and D-Day: The Untold Story (BBC Specialist Factual for BBC 2 and Discovery Channel).

McDonald also ran her own company creating films for national charities. She is the daughter of Jay and Judy McDonald of Fayetteville.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.