MUMBAI: The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television has appointed William McDonald as the chairman of the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media (FTVDM). McDonald will assume office on 1 July.

McDonald, who is currently FTVDM vice-chair of undergraduate studies and head of cinematography, succeeds film producer and Professor Barbara Boyle who successfully chaired the FTVDM for nine years.
 
McDonald recently inaugurated the Cinematographer in Residence program and alliance with Kodak. He has also served as vice chair for production at TFT from 1998-2003, helping it to convert UCLA‘s post-production facilities from analog to digital technology.

Commented UCLA dean Teri Schwartz in a statement, "While he has very tall shoes to fill in Barbara Boyle‘s long and illustrious time as chair, Bill‘s vision, talent, experiences and collaborative spirit position him perfectly to take the reigns of this outstanding department and build upon the excellence of the department‘s programs."