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Motif

Erich Roland

Cinematographer

Primetime Emmy nominee

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
24 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 33% in 30 days

What are Erich Roland's films like?

Across their 17 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
30%
Ideas
17%
Self
14%
Power
14%
Morality
12%
Survival
7%
Bonds
5%
Community8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 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 7 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 12 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 13 · 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 9 · Even-paced 4 · 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 5 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
13
Hopeful
9
Tense
4
Melancholic
4
Warm
4
Other
9

How their films linger

Thought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous6

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 Erich Roland's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 24 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Erich Roland's titles on Motif; 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

41 credits, 24 with a Motif page.

  • Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain(2021)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • India from Above(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • RUTH - Justice Ginsburg in her own Words(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Trial (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • The Final Year(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Wrong Man(2018)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Parched(2017)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • He Named Me Malala(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Teach(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Road We've Traveled (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Hunting the Edge of Space (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · Camera Production Assistant

  • From the Sky Down(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Waiting for Superman(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Picturing the Presidents(2009)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • It Might Get Loud(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Einstein(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • America's Treasures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Made in China (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Additional Photography

  • Steep(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Mickey (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • Then and Now: 1981-2004 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Camera Operator

  • The Ballad of Bering Strait (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • The Body Changers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Double Jeopardy(1999)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • National Geographic: The Filmmakers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Murder at 1600(1997)

    "B" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial(1996)

    Cinematographer

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

  • Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Additional Camera

  • National Lampoon's Senior Trip(1995)

    Steadicam Operator

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Out of Ireland (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Cinematographer

  • One Survivor Remembers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Cinematographer

  • Thomas Jefferson: A View from the Mountain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Deep Blues(1992)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Elliot Fauman, Ph.D. (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • Driving Miss Daisy(1989)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Her Alibi(1989)

    Steadicam Operator

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Gospel According to Al Green(1984)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Moses Pendleton Presents Moses Pendleton (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)

    Gaffer

  • Brotherhood of Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    Production Assistant · Still Photographer · as Soldier on Guard Duty / Klansman

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles from 1976 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Waiting for Superman (2010)

$6.4M worldwide

Highest rated

It Might Get Loud (2008)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates (2019)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 29: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleCinematography18 of 29: 18 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score89thOther crew11 of 29: 10 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score35th

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s3 · crew1990s10 · crew2000s8 · 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 Motif, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 major nominations and no wins, 1995–2016.

  1. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  2. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming
  3. 1995
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming

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 Erich Roland's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive3
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · cinematographer

Teach (2013)

94th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)

Midcredits 95th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 63/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 45. 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 Midcredits 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.

Who does Erich Roland work with?

People who share at least 2 of Erich Roland's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Davis Guggenheim shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers