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Rick Bota

Rick Bota

Cinematographer and director

Works as
Cinematographer and director
Titles
35 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 27Up 6% in 30 days

What are Rick Bota's films like?

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

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 9th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th 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
37%
Survival
17%
Self
17%
Bonds
15%
Society
8%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 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 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 8

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

Grounded 12 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 9 · Intense 7

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 2

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 10 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Dread
9
Melancholic
7
Warm
3
Romantic
3
Other
12

How their films linger

Unsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous7

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 Rick Bota's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Rick Bota'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, 35 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Mr. Write(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Secret Summer(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

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

    Director

  • Between(2015)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Happy Face Killer(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Love Me(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Beauty and the Beast(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • The Killing Game(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Unforgettable(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Haven(2010)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Life Unexpected(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Three Rivers(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • The Vampire Diaries(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Harper's Island(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Raising the Bar(2008)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Supernatural(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Hellraiser: Hellworld(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Hellraiser: Deader(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Hellraiser: Hellseeker(2002)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Impostor(2001)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Valentine(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • House on Haunted Hill(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The West Wing(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Balloon Farm(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • L.A. Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Kiss the Girls(1997)

    Second Unit Director · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Mimic(1997)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Perversions of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • The Glimmer Man(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Barb Wire(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Babysitter(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Companion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Jack Reed: Badge of Honor(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Final Embrace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Cinematographer

  • Deadly Medicine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Cinematographer

  • Weekend at Bernie's(1989)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 21 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1989 to 2016.

Biggest box office

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

$43M worldwide

Highest rated

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Midcredits 70th

Most popular right now

Harper's Island (2009)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing18 of 39: 17 only directing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score53rdCinematography20 of 39: 18 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thOther crew3 of 39: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s2 · crew1990s17 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s10 · 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 Rick Bota's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 30th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 26th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 35 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 35 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned3
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · director

Love Me (2013)

70th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The West Wing (1999)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 48/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 62, 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 Rick Bota's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles56–88 · median 83 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles38–70 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles52–72 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles26–65 · median 43 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles46–76 · median 66 · intenseheavier 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 Rick Bota work with?

People who share at least 2 of Rick Bota's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Anthony Adler shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles