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Clair Popkin

Clair Popkin

Cinematographer

Primetime Emmy winner

Clair is a New York City and LA based cinematographer. He works in all media formats from documentaries & films to commercials, music videos and TV series. Clair is also an avid rock climber and skydiver and scuba diver with extensive experience filming outdoor and adventure sports. He has filmed projects all over the world. Clair grew up in Maine, which is where he traces his love of the outdoors to. In Maine he was introduced to still photography at an early age, printing and processing his own black and white photos at the age of 12. Clair traces his passion for cinematography to his early interest in still photography.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
36 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are Clair Popkin's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
23%
Ideas
17%
Survival
15%
Society
14%
Morality
13%
Bonds
11%
Power
6%
Legacy7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 11 · Intense 5

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 19 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 11

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
20
Hopeful
18
Tense
8
Melancholic
5
Bittersweet
5
Other
8

How their films linger

Hopeful19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4
  • Other1

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 Clair Popkin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Clair Popkin'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

38 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles, 28 of them dated from 2012 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Free Solo (2018)

$29M worldwide

Highest rated

Free Solo (2018)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography18 of 29: 18 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thOther crew11 of 29: 11 only other crew, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score47th

By decade

2010s20 · crew2020s8 · 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

a Primetime Emmy from 2 major nominations, 2019–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  2. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program

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 Clair Popkin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 36 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up25
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

I'm Not Crazy, I'm Sick (2023)

99th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Free Solo (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 68/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 50. 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.

Who does Clair Popkin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Clair Popkin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter W. Kunhardt shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

  • Jacqueline Glover9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Jacqueline Glover
  • Jill Cowan5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Jill Cowan
  • Eva Lipman5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Eva Lipman
  • Sheila Nevins4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with Sheila Nevins

Mixed roles