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Mike Gioulakis

Mike Gioulakis

Cinematographer, also producer · Born September 17, 1982 (44) · Plantation, Florida, USA

Independent Spirit Award nominee

Michael Gioulakis (born September 17, 1982) is an American cinematographer, best known for his work with directors David Robert Mitchell, M. Night Shyamalan, and Jordan Peele.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 17, 1982 (44)
From
Plantation, Florida, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also producer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 32 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 12% in 30 days

What are Mike Gioulakis' films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy 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
Self
30%
Bonds
22%
Survival
19%
Society
17%
Ideas
7%
Morality
5%
Identity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDisplacement2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 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 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 8

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

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

A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 7

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 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 9

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
10
Dread
5
Contemplative
4
Absurd
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical1

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 Mike Gioulakis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mike Gioulakis' 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

32 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • Alpha Gang(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The End of Oak Street(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Piano Lesson(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Sasquatch Sunset(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Reptile(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Eyes of Tammy Faye(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Old(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Unemployable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer · Creator

  • Us(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Glass(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Under the Silver Lake(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Phoenix Forgotten(2017)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • California Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Split(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Stock Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • Too Late(2015)

    Gaffer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Lancaster, CA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Review (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • It Follows(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Camp X-Ray(2014)

    Gaffer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Lake Los Angeles(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Angst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • John Dies at the End(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Pearblossom Hwy(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Bad Fever(2011)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Worn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • Al's Beef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Gaffer

  • The Book of Caleb(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Looking for David (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Interviewee

  • They Follow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles, 30 of them dated from 2008 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Split (2016)

$278M worldwide

Highest rated

Split (2016)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

It Follows (2014)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 32: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleCinematography27 of 32: 26 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thOther crew5 of 32: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s2 · crew2010s20 · crew2020s8 · 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 an Independent Spirit Award in 2016, Best Cinematography.

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 Mike Gioulakis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

Alpha Gang (2026)

92nd percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Split (2016)

Midcredits 89th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 68/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 52. 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 Mike Gioulakis' work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles44–88 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles11–70 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles22–73 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles18–47 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles45–83 · median 72 · intenseheavier 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 Mike Gioulakis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mike Gioulakis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; M. Night Shyamalan shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers