Skip Macdonald is an American film and television editor known for his work on ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...

'' (2008–2013), its spin-off series ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

'' (2015–2022), and the 2019 sequel film '' El Camino''. He also edited several episodes for '' Fargo''. Macdonald has earned a total of ten

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations. In 2014, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for the series finale of ''Breaking Bad''.

Career

Skip Macdonald began his career as an assistant sound editor in the 1980s. During this time, he worked on '' Heaven's Gate'' (1980), ''

Things Are Tough All Over ''Things are Tough All Over'' is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Thomas K. Avildsen and starring Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin as two aging hippies, and additionally as Arab businessmen Mr. Slyman and Prince Habib. Plot Cheech an ...

'', and the

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

-directed ''

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid ''Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid'' is a 1982 American neo-noir mystery comedy film directed, co-written by, and co-starring Carl Reiner and co-written by and starring Steve Martin. Co-starring Rachel Ward, the film is both a parody of and a homage to ...

'' (1982) and ''

The Man with Two Brains ''The Man with Two Brains'' is a 1983 American science fiction black comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner. Written by Martin, Reiner and George Gipe and shot in summer 1982 at Laird International S ...

'' (1983). After completing '' Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers'' in 1984, Macdonald made his second collaboration with filmmaker

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. One of the "New Hollywood" directors, Cimino achieved fame with ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best D ...

, after ''Heaven's Gate'', with '' Year of the Dragon'' in 1985. Macdonald's first project serving as an assistant

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

was in 1988's television film '' Little Girl Lost''. In the following years, he assisted with the editing of ''

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man ''Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'' is a 1991 American neo-Western biker film starring Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, with a supporting cast including Chelsea Field, Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, Giancarlo Esposito, and Vanessa Williams who ...

'' (1991), the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'' film ''The Case of the Killer Kiss'' (1993), '' White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf'' and ''

Nell Nell is a traditional nickname for Eleanor. Nell is the name of: People Given name * Nell (artist) (born 1975), Australian artist * Nell Blaine (1922–1996), American painter * Nell Bryden (born 1977), American singer * Nell Carter (1948–2003), ...

'' (1994), ''Kansas'' and ''

In Pursuit of Honor ''In Pursuit of Honor'' is a 1995 American made-for-cable Western film directed by Ken Olin. Don Johnson stars as a member of a United States Cavalry detachment refusing to slaughter its horses after being ordered to do so by General Douglas MacA ...

'' (1995), and '' Primal Fear'' (1996). In 1997, Macdonald had his "" after becoming an editor for ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

''.

In 2008, Macdonald began editing the

Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2 ...

-created series ''

'', a show that received universal acclaim and earned Macdonald (following three other nominations) the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series. This award and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy Series replaced Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Series ...

in 2014 for his work on the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

. That same year, he worked on the drama series '' Fargo'' and earned three nominations for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, ...

. Macdonald made his second collaboration with Gilligan on the ''Breaking Bad'' spin-off series ''

'', which earned him two more Emmy Award nominations. In 2019, he made his third collaboration with Gilligan on the Netflix film '' El Camino'', a sequel to ''Breaking Bad'' centered on the character of

Jesse Pinkman Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a main character in the American television series '' Breaking Bad'', played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer and works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Jess ...

. The film, which also received universal acclaim from critics, earned Macdonald his tenth and most recent Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, Skip American Cinema Editors American film editors Living people Year of birth missing (living people)