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Kevin Atkinson

Kevin Atkinson

Cinematographer · Santa Cruz, California, USA

Kevin Atkinson designs lighting set-ups and camera work for Hollywood. His work can be seen on ABC, NBC, HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, as well as for Universal, Sony Pictures, and Warner Brothers. Kevin’s interest in film began in his parents’ independent movie theater in Santa Cruz, California where he spent much of his childhood watching foreign and art films. In his twenties, Kevin traveled the world and studied several languages. He then spent his thirties as a freelance cinematographer, shooting everything from union feature films in Hollywood to small independent documentaries in Africa. The American Society of Cinematographers has recognized Kevin as a finalist for The Robert Surtees Heritage Award for Cinematography. He is also the recipient of the Ralf Bode Eastman Kodak Award for Cinematography for his body of work. Kevin holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He later graduated with honors in cinematography from The Los Angeles Film School. Between shoots he has taught cinematography at University of Southern California (USC school of Cinematic Arts), The Los Angeles Film School, and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television) He currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife Susan and their two sons, Luke and Silas.

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Biography from TMDB.

From
Santa Cruz, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 25 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 37% in 30 days

What are Kevin Atkinson's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Action 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
30%
Self
23%
Survival
16%
Morality
14%
Society
11%
Power
6%
Ideas
1%
Friendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 4 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 6

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · 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 9 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
12
Tense
6
Joyful
6
Warm
4
Melancholic
4
Other
7

How their films linger

Fun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical1

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 Kevin Atkinson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kevin Atkinson'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

25 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Throwback(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • History of the World: Part II(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Reno 911!: It's a Wonderful Heist(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Family Squares(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Murderville(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • A Futile and Stupid Gesture(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Alone Together(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later(2017)

    Show 8 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Hotwives of Las Vegas(2015)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Sense of Smell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • The Hotwives of Orlando(2014)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • The Hug(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • For-Profit Online University (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Art Direction · Cinematographer

  • Halfway to Hell(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • You're Whole(2012)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • 5th & Alameda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Neowolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • For Christ's Sake(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Avatar(2009)

    Software Engineer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Feast III: The Happy Finish(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Feast II: Sloppy Seconds(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Red Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Zugzwang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles, 17 of them dated from 2008 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026)

$1.5M worldwide

Highest rated

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

Midcredits 69th

Most popular right now

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography17 of 18: 16 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thOther crew2 of 18: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s4 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s5 · 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 Kevin Atkinson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 31st percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 19 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · cinematographer

Halfway to Hell (2013)

89th percentile spread · 64% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

Midcredits 69th · 65% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 33/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 46, detractors 15. 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 Kevin Atkinson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 60 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Kevin Atkinson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kevin Atkinson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Franny Baldwin shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers