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Gavin Kelly

Cinematographer, also director · San Diego, California, USA

Gavin Kelly, ASC is a bold, dynamic cinematographer, whose extensive background in visual arts, music, and film fuels an explorative creative drive evident throughout his work. Gavin's recent work includes the acclaimed Apple TV+ anthology series Little America (2020), working with executive producers Siân Heder (Coda), Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick), Alan Yang (Master of None), and Lee Eisenberg (The Office, WeCrashed). He lensed the Emmy Award winning series Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019) for showrunners RZA and Alex Tse, Imagine Television (Ron Howard, Brian Grazer), and Hulu. Gavin's formative cinematography on the pilot helped create the look and tones of the series, and evolved along with the cinematic storytelling in the Wu-universe. Gavin was the DP on four cinematic seasons of the renowned anthology series American Horror Story (2011), created by Ryan Murphy for FX. He also lensed the pilots for the hit series 9-1-1 (2018) (with Ryan Murphy and Fox), and The Equalizer (2021) (with Queen Latifah for CBS). Gavin's feature work includes films that have been honored at many top international film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, and Tribeca. His credits include Luv (2012), (starring Common, Danny Glover), The Dry Land (2010) (starring America Ferrera, Ryan O'Nan), Cabin Fever (2016) (reboot for IFC Films), and the Oscar-winning musical 9-1-1 (2018). Gavin received his M.F.A. in Film Production at USC School of Cinematic Arts. While in undergraduate studies in Visual Arts at UCSD, Gavin was awarded two Student Emmys for his work. He received the prestigious A.S.C. Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography, Honorable Commendation, from the American Society of Cinematographers. Gavin is represented by WPA / Worldwide Production Agency.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

From
San Diego, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also director
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 30 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 156 days to Oct 27Up 12% in 30 days

What are Gavin Kelly's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: 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
Bonds
31%
Self
22%
Morality
21%
Survival
17%
Society
5%
Ideas
4%
Friendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 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 8 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 14 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 8 · Intense 4

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

A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

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 10 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
8
Tense
7
Joyful
7
Warm
6
Hopeful
7
Other
17

How their films linger

Hopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous4

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 Gavin Kelly's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gavin Kelly'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

30 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • Brothers(2026)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Ballard(2025)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Little America(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • The Sweet Life(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Ghostmates(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Midnight Man(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Cabin Fever(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Safelight(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • A History of Radness(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • See You in Valhalla(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Dial a Prayer(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Better Half(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Phantom Halo(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Girl House(2014)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • A Fine Step(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Chu and Blossom(2014)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Kilimanjaro(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Luv(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • American Horror Story(2011)

    Show 34 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Sugartown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Where the Road Meets the Sun(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Little Fish, Strange Pond(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Play the Game(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Wake(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Dog 41 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Life by Design (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Camera Operator

  • The Shadows(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Nak Muay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles, 25 of them dated from 2008 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Midnight Man (2016)

$2.9M worldwide

Highest rated

Ballard (2025)

Midcredits 72nd

Most popular right now

Brothers (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 26: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography23 of 26: 23 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score34thOther crew2 of 26: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s5 · crew2010s18 · crew2020s2 · 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 Gavin Kelly's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 26th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 25 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · cinematographer

Ghostmates (2016)

93rd percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

A History of Radness (2015)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 54/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 41. 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 Gavin Kelly's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 90 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Gavin Kelly work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gavin Kelly's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ruth Mutch shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles