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Clinton Shorter

Clinton Shorter

Composer · Born March 18, 1971 (55) · North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Clinton Shorter (born March 18, 1971) is a Canadian film and television composer. He is particularly known for his score for Neill Blomkamp's film District 9. He has also composed the music for over 300 television episodes. Shorter was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He initially studied jazz in college before switching to music composition. Shorter created the score for an independent film, Come Together, in Vancouver. He went on to create music for several more films in the Vancouver area, including Neill Blomkamp 's short Alive in Joburg. Shorter was asked to create a score for Blomkamp's 2009 science fiction film District 9, "something 'raw and dark' but which maintained its African roots". The resulting music has been described by reviewers as "rhythmic" and "magnificent", as "mournful ethnic-action strains", and as having "pseudo-exotic ambiance as a post-modern theme of loss". The sound track was released separately as a CD. In 2014 Shorter wrote the score for the action film Pompeii. He subsequently composed music for the television series The Expanse and Colony. Source: Article "Clinton Shorter" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 18, 1971 (55)
From
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Works as
Composer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 15% in 30 days

What are Clinton Shorter's films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Crime 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
Morality
26%
Bonds
26%
Survival
21%
Power
11%
Self
8%
Ideas
5%
Society
2%
Survival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 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 3 · Serious 7 · Dark 10

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

Grounded 16 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 9 · Intense 11

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 5

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

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 7

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

Casual 6 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 5 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Dread
8
Thrilling
7
Melancholic
6
Hopeful
4
Other
13

How their films linger

Hopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

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 Clinton Shorter's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Clinton Shorter'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

34 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Rip(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Not Without Hope(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Rainmaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

  • Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent(2024)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Copshop(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Boss Level(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Tribes of Europa(2021)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Colony(2016)

    Show 36 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Expanse(2015)

    Show 62 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Quantico(2015)

    Show 13 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • Pompeii(2014)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Informant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Composer

  • 2 Guns(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Jappeloup(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Contraband(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • District 9(2009)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • NYC: Tornado Terror(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Lives of Second Wives(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Nightmare at the End of the Hall(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

  • Normal(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Post Mortem(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Judicial Indiscretion(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Secrets of an Undercover Wife(2007)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • A Decent Proposal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Composer

  • Under the Mistletoe(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Her Fatal Flaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • 12 Hours to Live(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Presumed Dead(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Ties That Bind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • Severed(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Deck the Halls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • Secret Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • Alive in Joburg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

District 9 (2009)

$211M worldwide

Highest rated

District 9 (2009)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music32 of 32: 32 only music, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score32nd

By decade

2000s19 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s5 · 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 Clinton Shorter's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 31st percentile, the median of all 20; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 25 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · composer

Presumed Dead (2006)

85th percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

District 9 (2009)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 53/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 62, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

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 Clinton Shorter's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles63–92 · median 81 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles13–60 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles43–91 · median 86 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles31–46 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles44–73 · median 59 · moderateheavier 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 Clinton Shorter work with?

People who share at least 2 of Clinton Shorter's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Mendeluk shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers