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Stephen McCarthy

Stephen McCarthy

Cinematographer

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 59 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Stephen McCarthy's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
31%
Society
25%
Survival
18%
Morality
13%
Power
7%
Self
4%
Bonds
2%
Community8 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope4 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 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 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 8 · Intense 1

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

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

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 6 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
16
Hopeful
11
Tense
6
Warm
4
Melancholic
4
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous10

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 Stephen McCarthy's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Stephen McCarthy'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

59 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page.

  • Bombshell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Cinematographer

  • Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse(2024)

    Additional Camera

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Confluence(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

  • The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love(2023)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Bill Russell: Legend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · Additional Camera

  • The Invisible Extinction(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • This Is a Robbery: The World's Greatest Art Heist(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • The Blinding of Isaac Woodard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • A Reckoning in Boston(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Aung San Suu Kyi: The Fall of an Icon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • The Edge of All We Know(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Ken Burns Presents: The Gene(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • The Oil War(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Trial 4(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Additional Camera

  • The Feud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • The Bombing of Wall Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer

  • Out of My Head(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Lake of Betrayal: The Story of Kinzua Dam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Oklahoma City(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Gene Doctors(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bonnie & Clyde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • Okinawa: Urizun no ame(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • NOVA: The Great Math Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Camera Operator

  • The Forgotten Plague (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Cesar's Last Fast(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • War of the Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • Billy the Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Finding Your Roots(2012)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The War of 1812 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • The Last Mountain(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Riddles of the Sphinx (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • Alien Earths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • The Polio Crusade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • Looking for Lincoln(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story(2008)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Storm Over Everest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • George H.W. Bush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Secrecy(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • John James Audubon: Drawn from Nature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Banished (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Victory in the Pacific (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Building the Alaska Highway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • King Arthur(2004)

    Gaffer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Patrick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rise & Fall of Penn Station (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • Jimmy Carter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Camera Operator

  • Miss America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Stockpile: The New Nuclear Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Cinematographer

  • Ennis' Gift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Skin Deep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Cinematographer

  • Frontline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

  • Nova(1974)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles from 1974 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Last Mountain (2011)

$123K worldwide

Highest rated

The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox (2024)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Finding Your Roots (2012)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 45: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography36 of 45: 36 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew8 of 45: 8 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s1 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s17 · crew2010s17 · crew2020s8 · 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 Stephen McCarthy's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

7thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 25 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · cinematographer

Out of My Head (2018)

97th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018)

Midcredits 96th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 53/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 57, detractors 20. 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.

Who does Stephen McCarthy work with?

People who share at least 2 of Stephen McCarthy's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Allie Humenuk shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles