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Sean O'Dea

Sean O'Dea

Cinematographer

Sean O'Dea is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California and Beijing, China. He is the son of late cinematographer James O'Dea. In 1988, upon completion of his B.F.A. degrees from the University of Michigan in Film and German, Sean moved to Los Angeles. In 2009, Sean first worked in China and has been studying Mandarin ever since.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
6 on Motif · 7 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 12% in 30 days

What are Sean O'Dea's films like?

Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Morality
27%
Survival
23%
Self
21%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · 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 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · 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 1 · Engaged 4 · 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 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 4

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Dread
4
Melancholic
3
Absurd
1
Romantic
1

How their films linger

Haunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2

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 Sean O'Dea's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 6 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sean O'Dea's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

7 credits, 6 with a Motif page.

  • A Violent Separation(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Martyrs(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Mischief Night(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Scenic Route(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Police Diary(2013)

    Cinematographer

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

  • Red Sands(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Zug (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 6 titles from 1987 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Martyrs (2015)

$397K worldwide

Highest rated

Scenic Route (2013)

Motif 57th

Most popular right now

Martyrs (2015)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography5 of 6: 5 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Motif score11thOther crew1 of 6: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s1 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s4 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Sean O'Dea's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 26th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Motif score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 6 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · cinematographer

Mischief Night (2014)

76th percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Scenic Route (2013)

Motif 57th · 55% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 61/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 46. 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 Motif 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.

Is Sean O'Dea's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 Motif titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 31

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Sean O'Dea work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sean O'Dea's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kevin Goetz shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers