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James L. Carter

Cinematographer

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
33 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are James L. Carter's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 13th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Thriller movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Self
24%
Morality
17%
Survival
16%
Society
9%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 7 · Dark 13

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 16 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 18 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 9 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Melancholic
10
Warm
7
Dread
8
Hopeful
6
Other
29

How their films linger

Unsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic6
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James L. Carter's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 33 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James L. Carter's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 33 with a MovieCove page.

  • Away and Back(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • One Christmas Eve(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • When Calls the Heart(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Greening of Whitney Brown(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Believe in Me(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Walker Payne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • Huff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Ladder 49(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Sleepover(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Shape of Things(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Tuck Everlasting(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Red Skies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Zig Zag(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • My Dog Skip(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Phoenix(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Payback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Cinematographer

  • Ruby Jean and Joe(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Convict Cowboy(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Destiny Turns on the Radio(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Justice in a Small Town(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • F.T.W.(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Road Killers(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Web of Deception(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • A Message from Holly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • One False Move(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Taking of Beverly Hills(1991)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Playroom(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Spaced Invaders(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Deadly Weapon(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Hider in the House(1989)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • In Dangerous Company(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Terminal Entry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • Paradise Motel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Sweet Sixteen(1982)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Satan's Mistress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Forbidden World(1982)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Home Movies(1979)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Don't Answer the Phone!(1980)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1980 to 2015.

Biggest box office

Ladder 49 (2004)

$101M worldwide

Highest rated

One False Move (1991)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography38 of 40: 38 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score27thOther crew2 of 40: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s10 · crew1990s17 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James L. Carter's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 32nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th15

Shape of the crowd

21 of their 33 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed21

Most divisive · cinematographer

In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful (1994)

78th percentile spread · 48% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

One False Move (1991)

Midcredits 86th · 73% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 57/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James L. Carter's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles27–88 · median 52 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles14–68 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles18–85 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles29–62 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles17–81 · median 49 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James L. Carter work with?

People who share at least 2 of James L. Carter's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Ross shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles