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Jerry Risius

Jerry Risius

Cinematographer, also director, actor and producer

Primetime Emmy nominee

Works as
Cinematographer, also director, actor and producer
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 29 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 43% in 30 days

What are Jerry Risius' films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
22%
Ideas
21%
Self
17%
Power
15%
Morality
11%
Survival
9%
Bonds
7%
Community8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 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 2 · Dark 9

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 7 · Intense 4

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 13 · 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 4 · Engaged 11 · 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 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 7

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
18
Hopeful
12
Tense
7
Melancholic
7
Warm
5
Other
7

How their films linger

Thought-provoking18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous10
  • Other1

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 Jerry Risius' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jerry Risius' 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

29 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever(2026)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Nature of the Crime(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Social Studies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

  • A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Confluence(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

  • UFOs: Investigating the Unknown(2023)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Director by Night(2022)

    Additional Photography · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Storm Lake(2021)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Denise Ho: Becoming the Song(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • (Un)Well(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • Torn Apart: Separated at the Border(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Generation Wealth(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The White House: Inside Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Camera Operator

  • THE END: Inside the Last Days of the Obama White House(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Pickle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • Time to Choose(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Watchers of the Sky(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • ZIPPER: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Cesar Millan: The Real Story(2012)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Graduates/Los Graduados(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Mind of a Chef(2012)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Last Mountain(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Counterterror NYC (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • A Walk to Beautiful(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Devil Came on Horseback(2007)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Price of Sugar(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Cannibals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Anthony Bourdain: A Cook's Tour - Mexico and the Americas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Camera Operator

  • Gracie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 20 titles, 19 of them dated from 2002 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Generation Wealth (2018)

$288K worldwide

Highest rated

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 20: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography15 of 20: 15 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thOther crew4 of 20: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s10 · crew2020s6 · 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.

Awards

Nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2018, Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Jerry Risius' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

20thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive5
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · cinematographer

THE END: Inside the Last Days of the Obama White House (2017)

95th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

A Walk to Beautiful (2007)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 71/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 57. 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 Jerry Risius work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jerry Risius' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ricki Stern shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles