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Michael Goi

Michael Goi

Cinematographer, director and producer, also writer, actor and editor · Born March 4, 1959 (67) · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee · 1 other major award body

Michael Goi (born March 4, 1959) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is well known for his work on Showtime's Web Therapy, and for his work with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk on Glee, Scream Queens and American Horror Story. He also wrote and directed the 2011 film Megan Is Missing.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 4, 1959 (67)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, director and producer, also writer, actor and editor
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 60 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 20% in 30 days

What are Michael Goi's films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 9th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 7th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama 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
Morality
26%
Survival
19%
Self
19%
Power
12%
Bonds
11%
Society
10%
Ideas
3%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 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 7 · Serious 5 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 13 · Stylized 4 · 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 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 8

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 0

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 2

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

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Dread
6
Melancholic
8
Hopeful
4
Contemplative
3
Other
18

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous4
  • 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 Michael Goi's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Goi'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

60 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Day of a Lion(2025)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Doc(2025)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Brilliant Minds(2024)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Cinematographer · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • The Rookie: Feds(2022)

    Show 22 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows

  • Big Sky(2020)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Words on Bathroom Walls(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mary(2019)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Swamp Thing(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Rookie(2018)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Charmed(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • The Gifted(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Riverdale(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • American Virgin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Associate Producer

  • Empire(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Town That Dreaded Sundown(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Frozen(2013)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Sleepy Hollow(2013)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Nashville(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • American Horror Story(2011)

    Show 52 episodes · Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Megan Is Missing(2011)

    Director · Co-Producer · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Nine Lives of Chloe King(2011)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Web Therapy(2011)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Expecting Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • Pretty Little Liars(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • The Mentalist(2008)

    Show 7 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Witless Protection(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Lime Salted Love(2006)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Fingerprints(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Cloud 9(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Cut Off(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Funky Monkey(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Judas(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Call Waiting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • The Kids Who Saved Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • Red Water(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Christmas Rush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Sexy Urban Legends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • The Bike Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Welcome to Death Row(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • What Matters Most (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Cinematographer

  • Sexy Urban Legends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • 100 Kilos(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Who Killed Atlanta's Children?(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Gedo(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Forbidden Sins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • The Awakening of Gabriella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • The Pleasure Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 13 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Nightcap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 11 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Voyeur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Writer

  • Hundred Percent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Cinematographer

  • Deadlock: A Passion for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Evil Obsession(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Sword of Honor(1994)

    as Ballistics Man

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Hills 90028 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Hellmaster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • Moonstalker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • A Hunger Artist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • The Music of Erich Zann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 55 titles from 1980 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Witless Protection (2008)

$4.2M worldwide

Highest rated

Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Doc (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 55: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting21 of 55: 15 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thWriting2 of 55: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing5 of 55: 2 only producing, 3 with another roleCinematography32 of 55: 29 only cinematography, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score25thEditing1 of 55: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 55: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

55 titles, 6 with more than one role — cinematography and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · crew1990s11 · 1 acting · 10 crew2000s17 · crew2010s17 · crew2020s7 · 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

5 major nominations and no wins, 2008–2025.

  1. 2025
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs
  2. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie
  3. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
  4. 2012
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
  5. 2008
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series

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 Michael Goi's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 16th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 12th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

12thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

18thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th14

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 39 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · producer

Lime Salted Love (2006)

98th percentile spread · 52% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Mentalist (2008)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 47/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 59, detractors 24. 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 Michael Goi's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 79 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles17–68 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 75 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles59–88 · median 83 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian 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 Michael Goi work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Goi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles Robert Carner shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers