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Daryn Okada

Daryn Okada

Cinematographer · Born January 2, 1960 (66) · Los Angeles, California, USA

Daryn Okada, A.S.C. (born January 2, 1960) is a cinematographer and the former president of the American Society of Cinematographers. In 2015, Okada joined the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A highly prolific director of photography, Okada has worked on numerous well-known films including Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Lake Placid, Mean Girls, and American Reunion, many of which are directed by Steve Miner.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 2, 1960 (66)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 49 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 26Down 15% in 30 days

What are Daryn Okada's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
35%
Self
29%
Morality
14%
Survival
11%
Society
6%
Power
3%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 20 · Serious 8 · Dark 2

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 11 · Charged 11 · Intense 8

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 4

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 7 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 18

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 22 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Absurd
16
Joyful
11
Hopeful
9
Warm
7
Other
25

How their films linger

Feel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy21
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Daryn Okada's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Daryn Okada'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

49 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Last Thing He Told Me(2023)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • The Rookie(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Station 19(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Dolphin Tale 2(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Let's Be Cops(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Movie 43(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • American Reunion(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Ghosts of Girlfriends Past(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Castle(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Baby Mama(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Sex and Death 101(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Stick It(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Just Like Heaven(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Paparazzi(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Mean Girls(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!(2004)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Cradle 2 the Grave(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Joe Somebody(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Texas Rangers(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Good Advice(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Dolittle 2(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Lake Placid(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Payback(1999)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Halloween H20: 20 Years Later(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Senseless(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Anna Karenina(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Vanishing Point(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • A Mother's Instinct (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Cinematographer

  • Black Sheep(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Big Bully(1996)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Eyes of Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • My Father the Hero(1994)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Airborne(1993)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Captain Ron(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Boris and Natasha(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken(1991)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Blind Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • Survival Quest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • Phantasm II(1988)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Punk Vacation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • Stitches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

  • Monaco Forever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Cinematographer

  • Frightmare(1983)

    Key Grip

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Nomad Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Angel Dust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Second Unit

  • Phantasm(1979)

    Grip

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles from 1979 to 2023.

Biggest box office

American Reunion (2012)

$235M worldwide

Highest rated

Mean Girls (2004)

Midcredits 89th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 49: 1 only directing, 1 with another roleCinematography44 of 49: 43 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score40thOther crew4 of 49: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s8 · crew1990s16 · crew2000s17 · crew2010s6 · 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 Daryn Okada's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed14

Most divisive · cinematographer

Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (2002)

79th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Castle (2009)

Midcredits 93rd · 90% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 61/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 47. 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 Daryn Okada's work okay for kids?

Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles24–84 · median 52 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity20 titles23–73 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity14 titles41–90 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles26–68 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles6–79 · median 26 · mildlighter 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 Daryn Okada work with?

People who share at least 2 of Daryn Okada's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steve Miner shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers