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Julia Swain

Julia Swain

Cinematographer, also producer

Named one of the ASC's Rising Stars in Cinematography of 2022, Julia Swain is storyteller first and foremost. A feature she lensed for Natasha Kermani, LUCKY, was a SXSW premiere and multiple other narrative projects she has shot have shown at prestigious genre festivals like SITGES, FANTASIA and more. SCRAMBLED (Megamix/Lionsgate) for director Leah McKendrick and THE WRATH OF BECKY (Boulderlight Films) for directors Suzanne Coote and Matthew Angel premiered at SXSW 2023 and received theatrical releases nationwide afterward. Julia holds an MFA in cinematography from UCLA and is a member of the International Cinematographer's Guild.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Cinematographer, also producer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26

What are Julia Swain's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 5th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy 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
Survival
30%
Bonds
25%
Self
19%
Morality
12%
Power
6%
Society
6%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 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 3 · Serious 4 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 8 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 7 · Intense 5

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

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 6 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Melancholic
8
Dread
5
Bittersweet
3
Thrilling
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Unsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Julia Swain's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Julia Swain'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

24 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Last Temptation of Becky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Cinematographer

  • Trust Me, I'm a Doctor(2026)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Voicemails for Isabelle(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Dreadful(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Abraham's Boys(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • RAPT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Scrambled(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Wrath of Becky(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Mattachine Family(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • V/H/S/85(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Borderline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • Bolivar(2022)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Booze, Bets and Sex That Built America(2022)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Box Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Thumb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Rising (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • DieRy(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Lucky(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Speed of Life(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • A Message From the CEO (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Goodnight, Gracie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Cassidy Red(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Jilted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 20 titles from 2015 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Scrambled (2023)

$423K worldwide

Highest rated

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)

Midcredits 91st

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography19 of 20: 19 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rdOther crew1 of 20: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s4 · crew2020s16 · 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 Julia Swain's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 14 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

DieRy (2020)

98th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)

Midcredits 91st · 79% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 66/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 53. 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 Julia Swain's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 88 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles29–65 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 85 · severeMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 71 · intenseMedian 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 Julia Swain work with?

People who share at least 2 of Julia Swain's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Natasha Kermani shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers