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Steve Yaconelli

Cinematographer · Died October 29, 2003, aged 62 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Born
March 18, 1941
Died
October 29, 2003 (aged 62)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 41 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 40% in 30 days

What are Steve Yaconelli's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
Bonds
34%
Morality
29%
Self
21%
Survival
8%
Power
4%
Society
3%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 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
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 16 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 8 · Intense 4

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 7 · 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 3 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 14 · 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 8 · Engaged 11 · 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 9 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6

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
14
Melancholic
11
Warm
6
Contemplative
7
Romantic
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11
  • Ambiguous3

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 Steve Yaconelli's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Steve Yaconelli'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

41 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page.

  • Soldier of Fortune, Inc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • Terror in the Family(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits...(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The West Side Waltz(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • A Gift from Heaven(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A.(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Blue Sky(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Cabin Boy(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Temp(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Dark Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • One Special Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • The Owl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Point Break(1991)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Aftermath: A Test of Love(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Payoff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Women and Men: Stories of Seduction(1990)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Phantom of the Opera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Gross Anatomy(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Karate Kid Part III(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Home Fires Burning(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • David(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Echoes in the Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • Echoes in the Darkness(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Pals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • Combat High(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Penalty Phase(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Jackals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • The Long Hot Summer(1985)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Meatballs Part II(1984)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • WarGames(1983)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Cat People(1982)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Blues Brothers(1980)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Boulevard Nights(1979)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • National Lampoon's Animal House(1978)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Driver(1978)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1978 to 1999.

Biggest box office

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

$39M worldwide

Highest rated

David (1988)

Midcredits 75th

Most popular right now

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 38: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleCinematography31 of 38: 30 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score42ndOther crew7 of 38: 7 only other crew, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score85th

By decade

1970s3 · crew1980s17 · crew1990s18 · 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 Steve Yaconelli's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 30 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · cinematographer

A Gift from Heaven (1994)

95th percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits... (1996)

Midcredits 94th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 56/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 38. 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 Steve Yaconelli's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Steve Yaconelli work with?

People who share at least 2 of Steve Yaconelli's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stephen J. Cannell shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

  • Chas. Floyd Johnson5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Chas. Floyd Johnson
  • David Chase5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with David Chase
  • Mark Horowitz5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Mark Horowitz
  • Maryann Rea5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Maryann Rea