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Ricardo Jacques Gale

Ricardo Jacques Gale

Cinematographer, also director · Born May 14, 1955 (71) · Miami, Florida, USA

Ricardo Jacques Galé was born in Havana, Cuba. He began his career as a production assistant in Miami, before moving to Los Angeles to attend USC Film School. Ricardo worked as a Film Lab technician, Key Grip, Gaffer and flew a Steadicam for 10 years. Roger Corman gave Ricardo his first opportunity as a Cinematographer. Ricardo has shot in Beirut, Greece, Macedonia, Kenya, Norway, Panama, Belize, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and the Philippines. He also speaks fluent Spanish. Ricardo's projects have won numerous awards including the François Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the International Critics Award at the Toronto Film Festival for " West Beirut " and Best Cinematography for ' Touching Home ".

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
May 14, 1955 (71)
From
Miami, Florida, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also director
Titles
23 on Motif · 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 34% in 30 days

What are Ricardo Jacques Gale's films like?

Across their 22 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Motif score: 20th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Motif score: 19th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Motif score: 13th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif 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
28%
Bonds
20%
Survival
17%
Morality
14%
Society
11%
Power
7%
Ideas
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 22 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 7 · Dark 2

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

Grounded 16 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 10 · Intense 6

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

Steady 10 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 9 · 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 14 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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 12 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Hopeful
7
Melancholic
6
Dread
6
Warm
5
Other
24

How their films linger

Hopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

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 Ricardo Jacques Gale's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 23 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ricardo Jacques Gale's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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, 23 with a Motif page.

  • Guns & Moses(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Beneath the Light(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 30th percentile of all films

  • I Voted (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Don't Say It(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Within Sand (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Hashtag Blessed: The Movie(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Movie(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Bad Tutor(2018)

    "A" Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Motif score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Paradise Club(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Take the 10(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Enchanted Christmas(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 47th percentile of all films

  • 96 Souls (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Camera Operator

  • Window of Opportunity(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 19th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Wingman Inc.(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Kristin's Christmas Past(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all films

  • All American Christmas Carol(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Book of Daniel(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Dark Tourist(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 17th percentile of all films

  • In the Void (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • Off Season: The Lex Morrison Story (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • The Chateau Meroux(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Getting That Girl(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Touching Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Bloodlines (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • I-See-You.com(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Hidden Passion (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • A Civilized People (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Life Among the Cannibals (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • West Beirut(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Killing Midnight (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Eyes of the Serpent (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Cinematographer · Co-Producer

  • Alien Intruder(1993)

    Director

    Motif score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • High Strung (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Steadicam Operator

  • Corporate Affairs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • Bloodfist(1989)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Beach Fever (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • The Nest(1987)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold(1986)

    Steadicam Operator

    Motif score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Alien Warrior (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • How to Be a Hitman (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • The Portrait’s Secret (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 31 of them dated from 1986 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Nest (1987)

$3.8M worldwide

Highest rated

West Beirut (1998)

Motif 95th

Most popular right now

The Book of Daniel (2013)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 33: 1 only directing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 33: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography29 of 33: 27 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Motif score19thOther crew4 of 33: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s5 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s11 · crew2020s4 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Ricardo Jacques Gale's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 19th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 22nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Approval · how many liked their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Reach · how many have seen their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 22

Motif score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th15

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 23 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · cinematographer

Getting That Girl (2011)

93rd percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

West Beirut (1998)

Motif 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 48/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 61, detractors 33. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Ricardo Jacques Gale's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 39 · moderateMedian of all films: 31

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

Who does Ricardo Jacques Gale work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ricardo Jacques Gale's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shiri Appleby shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Producers