Harris Savides
Cinematographer · Died October 11, 2012, aged 55 · New York, New York, U.S.A.
Harris Savides (September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012) was an American cinematographer. Notable films include Gus Van Sant's "young death" trilogy (Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days), and the Van Sant films Milk, Finding Forrester, and Restless; David Fincher's The Game, Zodiac, and the opening title sequence in Seven; Martin Scorsese's short film The Key to Reserva; Wong Kar Wai's short film The Follow; Ridley Scott's American Gangster; Woody Allen's Whatever Works; Sofia Coppola's Somewhere and The Bling Ring; Noah Baumbach's Greenberg and Margot at the Wedding; and John Turturro's Illuminata. Savides also won a "Best Cinematographer" New York Film Critics Circle award in 2003 for his cinematography work in Gerry and Elephant. Savides was also nominated five times for Best Cinematographer in the Independent Spirit Awards for his cinematography in Gerry, Elephant, Last Days, Milk and Greenberg. In 2007, Savides was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Cinematography for Zodiac. In 2008, Savides was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Cinematographer in American Gangster. In 2011, Savides was nominated for a Best Cinematography National Society of Film Critics Award for his cinematography work in Somewhere.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 28, 1957
- October 11, 2012 (aged 55)
- New York, New York, U.S.A.
- Cinematographer
- 21 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
What are Harris Savides' films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 16
Light 3 · Serious 5 · Dark 10
Grounded 8 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 8
Steady 7 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1
A split, not a type: Casual 7 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 5
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 10
A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 8
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic3
- 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 Harris Savides' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Harris Savides' 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
38 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Funeral (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Bling Ring(2013)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Restless(2011)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
I'm Still Here(2010)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Somewhere(2010)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Greenberg(2010)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Whatever Works(2009)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Milk(2008)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
WALL·E(2008)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Key to Reserva (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Margot at the Wedding(2007)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
American Gangster(2007)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Zodiac(2007)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Best of Chris Isaak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Work of Director Mark Romanek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Last Days(2005)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Birth(2004)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Work of Director Michel Gondry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Elephant(2003)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Gerry(2002)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Follow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Hire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Chop Suey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Finding Forrester(2000)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Yards(2000)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Illuminata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
The Game(1997)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
HIStory on Film, Volume II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Four Boys in a Volvo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Heaven's Prisoners(1996)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Seven(1995)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Lake Consequence(1993)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Robbie Robertson: Going Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Robbie Robertson: A Retrospective - From the Band to the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Investigator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Cindy Crawford: The Next Challenge Workout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Career shape
A full career of 38 titles from 1980 to 2016.
Biggest box office
American Gangster (2007)
Highest rated
American Gangster (2007)
Most popular right now
Zodiac (2007)
Film career
- 1997Screen debut· The Game
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 Harris Savides' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 21 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved7
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 58. 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 Harris Savides' work okay for kids?
Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.
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 Harris Savides work with?
People who share at least 2 of Harris Savides' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gus Van Sant shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Gus Van SantShared titles: Restless (2011), Milk (2008), Last Days (2005), Elephant (2003), Gerry (2002), Finding Forrester (2000)See all 6 shared titles with Gus Van Sant
- Sofia CoppolaShared titles: The Bling Ring (2013), Somewhere (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Sofia Coppola
- Noah BaumbachShared titles: Greenberg (2010), Margot at the Wedding (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Noah Baumbach
- David FincherShared titles: Zodiac (2007), The Game (1997)See all 2 shared titles with David Fincher
Actors
- Jennifer Jason LeighShared titles: Greenberg (2010), Margot at the Wedding (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Josh BrolinShared titles: Milk (2008), American Gangster (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Josh Brolin
- Sean PennShared titles: Milk (2008), The Game (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Penn
- Nicole KidmanShared titles: Margot at the Wedding (2007), Birth (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Nicole Kidman
Composers and editors
- Sarah FlackShared titles: The Bling Ring (2013), Somewhere (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Sarah Flack
- Danny ElfmanShared titles: Restless (2011), Milk (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Danny Elfman
- Elliot GrahamShared titles: Restless (2011), Milk (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Elliot Graham
- Howard ShoreShared titles: The Yards (2000), The Game (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Howard Shore
Producers
- Dany WolfShared titles: Last Days (2005), Elephant (2003), Gerry (2002), Finding Forrester (2000)See all 4 shared titles with Dany Wolf
- Jay HernandezShared titles: Last Days (2005), Elephant (2003), Gerry (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Jay Hernandez
- Roman CoppolaShared titles: The Bling Ring (2013), Somewhere (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Roman Coppola
- Brian GrazerShared titles: Restless (2011), American Gangster (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Grazer
