Skip to content
MovieCove
Jean-Yves Escoffier

Jean-Yves Escoffier

Cinematographer · Died April 1, 2003, aged 52 · Lyon, France

Jean-Yves Escoffier (July 12, 1950 – April 1, 2003) was a French cinematographer. Escoffier worked as director of photography on a number of films of Leos Carax including Boy Meets Girl, Mauvais sang, and Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, on a number of European and American feature films including The Human Stain, Possession, Nurse Betty, The Cradle Will Rock, Rounders, and Good Will Hunting, as well as Harmony Korine's Gummo. He also worked with Mehdi Norowzian, Jeanne Moreau for Air France, David Lynch for Nissan Motors, and on music videos, "Hurt" (2002) for Johnny Cash and Mark Romanek. On April 1, 2003, Escoffier died from a heart attackin his home in Los Angeles, California during production of The Human Stain, a film since dedicated to his memory. Source: Article "Jean-Yves Escoffier" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 12, 1950
Died
April 1, 2003 (aged 52)
From
Lyon, France
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 35 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 26Up 3% in 30 days

What are Jean-Yves Escoffier's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime 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
Self
37%
Bonds
22%
Morality
14%
Survival
10%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Ideas
5%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 11 · Intense 6

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 6

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 13 · 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 5 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

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 3 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 8

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
9
Absurd
5
Warm
4
Romantic
4
Other
19

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic2
  • 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 Jean-Yves Escoffier's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Yves Escoffier'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

35 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • It's Not Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    In Memory Of

  • The Work of Director Mark Romanek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • The Human Stain(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Possession(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • 15 Minutes(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Nurse Betty(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Cradle Will Rock(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Agujetas Cantaor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Rounders(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Good Will Hunting(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Gummo(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Excess Baggage(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Grace of My Heart(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Crow: City of Angels(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Jack & Sarah(1995)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Witch Hunt(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Dream Lover(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Lovers on the Bridge(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Jaune revolver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Cinematographer

  • Bad Blood(1986)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Three Men and a Cradle(1985)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Shoah(1985)

    Assistant Camera

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Rude Raid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Boy Meets Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • The Eyes of the Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Gramps Is in the Resistance(1983)

    "B" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Ballade à blanc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Coup de feu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Lourdes l'hiver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • Simone Barbès or Virtue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Cinematographer

  • Heroes Are Not Wet Behind the Ears(1978)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Mountain Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Cinematographer

  • Lumière (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Second Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles from 1976 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Good Will Hunting (1997)

$226M worldwide

Highest rated

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography30 of 35: 30 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew5 of 35: 5 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s3 · crew1980s13 · crew1990s13 · crew2000s5 · crew2020s1 · 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 Jean-Yves Escoffier's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

Gummo (1997)

61st percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 71/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 52. 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 Jean-Yves Escoffier's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles38–87 · median 52 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles18–65 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles65–91 · median 87 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles30–83 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles39–78 · median 58 · moderateheavier 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 Jean-Yves Escoffier work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean-Yves Escoffier's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bob Weinstein shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers