Artist Statement
Short films with a theme and killer tag line tell their story with all the medium has to offer. When it's almost like visual poetry; condensed, compact, efficient and effective, they're best at eliciting emotion while giving us something to think about. I love short films.
That being said, I'm always gathering ideas and scraps of dialogue for a feature, limited series or just something great that won't let me leave it alone. I like structure when I'm planning a script. Knowing how it ends is key. Then I'm very meticulous about the first act, making sure its foundation is so solid, it will carry the story to The End.
Backstories give characters their personalities and indicate how they may act or react. I love creating backstories, sometimes too much. But they are so helpful in developing character and creating a transformational arc.
Though the A and B Stories are key, a C Story is fun and helps bind it all together. Maybe something to do with a running comedic line, a thread that runs through multiple episodes until it is solved in the end, a second theme, the arc of supporting character, or something set up earlier that pays off in the end. Whatever works best for the story.
During the writing process, a tagline is always in the back of my mind, imagining it on a poster and thinking about where it may fit in the dialogue. It's theme related and helps keep the story on track.
Biography
Al MacDonald is an emerging film maker and writer, having completed the screenwriting portion of Writing for Film and Television with the Toronto Film School at Yorkville, qualifying for the President's List and Dean's List.
He has written spec scripts for Feature Film, Television, Documentaries, and Art Films and is currently writing a Sports Drama set in Prince Edward Island, while polishing a short film Documentary Drama series.
The last two Screenwriting Bootcamps, saw him train with and pitch to industry professionals. Since Joining FilmPEI, Al's attended workshops in Short Film, Producing, Animation, Editing, Set Etiquette, Location PA, and Film Fundamentals with an emphasis on the Art Department. He was instrumental in leading members of the 2223 Film Fundamentals group in shooting a short film, now in post-production.
After a life in sales, Al's finally doing what he always wanted to, write. Transferrable skills to film, include carpentry, production co-ordination, logistics, photography, photo editing, scenic painting, music, song writing and sales.
