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Gavin Thurston

Gavin Thurston

Cinematographer, also actor

2 Primetime Emmys · BAFTA Award nominee

Works as
Cinematographer, also actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 28 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 26Up 23% in 30 days

What are Gavin Thurston's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
36%
Survival
30%
Society
15%
Self
11%
Bonds
7%
Nature14 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival13 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
17
Warm
12
Joyful
7
Hopeful
5
Thrilling
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Hopeful18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet5
  • Cyclical8

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 Gavin Thurston's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gavin Thurston'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

28 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Horizon(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Mammals(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • OceanXplorers(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Life on Our Planet(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · Additional Director of Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • A Perfect Planet(2021)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Life in Colour(2021)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Mating Game(2021)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin in Conversation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • In the Footsteps of Elephant(2020)

    Cinematographer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Elephant(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Our Planet(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Zoo Quest in Colour(2016)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Planet Earth II(2016)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Monkey Kingdom(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Attenborough's Paradise Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Camera Operator

  • Life Story(2014)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Madagascar(2011)

    Show Cinematographer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Nature's Great Events(2009)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Earth(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Life of Mammals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 6 episodes · Additional Photography · Cinematographer

  • Bloodsuckers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • The Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Camera Operator

  • The Life of Birds(1998)

    Show 5 episodes · Additional Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Trials of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • The Trials of Life(1990)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The First Eden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Additional Photography · Camera Operator

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles from 1987 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Earth (2007)

$109M worldwide

Highest rated

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Planet Earth II (2016)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography11 of 16: 9 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndOther crew7 of 16: 5 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s3 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s6 · 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.

Awards

2 Primetime Emmys from 6 major nominations, 1996–2021.

WinNomination
  1. 2021
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  2. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  3. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  4. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  5. 1999
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Photography (Factual)
  6. 1996
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Gavin Thurston's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 89th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th2

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 21 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · cinematographer

Horizon (2024)

95th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

Midcredits 99th · 97% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 89/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 93, detractors 85. 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 Gavin Thurston's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 3 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 6 · minimalMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 39

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

Who does Gavin Thurston work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gavin Thurston's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Attenborough shares the most, 13.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles