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Clay Westervelt

Clay Westervelt

Cinematographer and producer · Born June 6, 1973 (53) · Omaha, Nebraska, USA

During graduate school at USC, Clay received both the Bush and Kodak Awards for Excellence in Cinematography, earning an apprenticeship with ASC members. He was honored to apprentice with Francis Kenny (2012 ASC President's Award), and went on to learn lighting and camera techniques through on-set observation of Vilmos Zsigmond, Emmanuelle Lubezki, and Dante Spinotti. After graduation, Clay immediately filmed pilots for every major network, establishing the look of such series as Life of Luxury with Robin Leach (ABC), Gene Simmons: Family Jewels (A&E), Rattlesnake Republic (Animal Planet), and Junk Gypsies (HGTV). His visual experimentation continued while shooting and directing award-winning music videos, including Nutty: Back in Black and the Grammy-nominated Johnny Cash's America. He established Martini Crew Booking as a gear and service provider for television and film productions in 2000. While at Martini, Clay filmed the Emmy-winning documentary The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club. Clay branched into directing with thursday afternoon, which won writing and directing awards while playing on PBS, The Sundance Channel, and in film festivals internationally. In 2003, Clay formed Imaginaut Entertainment, Inc, producing and directing the award-winning series Storyline Online, featuring such talents as Elijah Wood, Betty White, James Earl Jones, and Al Gore. Through Imaginaut, Clay recently released the award-winning documentary Popatopolis, and is now producing a heartwarming doc for HBO about a pageant for young disabled girls. Clay's current films include Mr. Twister, a documentary about an autistic young man, produced by Academy Award-winner Mark Harris. Clay is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences residing in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, and is now in development on multiple documentaries and pilots while writing two feature screenplays.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
June 6, 1973 (53)
From
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Cinematographer and producer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 19 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Clay Westervelt's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
28%
Self
26%
Ideas
20%
Power
9%
Bonds
8%
Morality
5%
Survival
5%
Art4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 1

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 10 · 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 8 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
7
Contemplative
7
Joyful
5
Warm
4
Tense
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical2

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 Clay Westervelt's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Clay Westervelt'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

19 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.

  • I Am We (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Producer

  • Dawn: A Charleston Legend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • ParaGold(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rebel Hearts(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Sniffing Out ‘Polyester’ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Life in the Doghouse(2018)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Harry & Snowman(2015)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Lucky Bastard(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Us and the Game Industry(2014)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Skum Rocks! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Producer

  • Miss You Can Do It(2013)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Rattlesnake Republic(2011)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Popatopolis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Starz Inside: In the Gutter(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • No Day But Today: The Story of 'Rent'(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • TransGeneration(2005)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Vivid Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 13 episodes · Camera Operator

Career shape

A full career of 9 titles from 2004 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Harry & Snowman (2015)

$579K worldwide

Highest rated

Life in the Doghouse (2018)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

TransGeneration (2005)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 9: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 9: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing5 of 9: 1 only producing, 4 with another roleCinematography5 of 9: 3 only cinematography, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 9: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

9 titles, 4 with more than one role — cinematography and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

2000s2 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Clay Westervelt's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 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 11

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

TransGeneration (2005)

99th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer, cinematographer

Life in the Doghouse (2018)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 62/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 35. 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 Clay Westervelt work with?

People who share at least 2 of Clay Westervelt's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ron Davis shares the most, 4.

Directors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers