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Sean Porter

Sean Porter

Cinematographer

Sean Porter is an American cinematographer. Growing up in Gig Harbor, Washington, he graduated from the University of Washington in 2004. He has worked on films such as It Felt Like Love, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, and Green Room. In 2014, he was listed on Filmmaker's "25 New Faces of Independent Film", as well as IndieWire's "Cinematographers to Watch" and Complex's "Underrated Cinematographers Poised to Make It Big in 2015". In 2015, he was listed on Variety's "10 Cinematographers to Watch". In 2024, he became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sean Porter (cinematographer), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 19 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 25% in 30 days

What are Sean Porter's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Genres

Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Drama 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
36%
Survival
22%
Bonds
15%
Society
15%
Power
6%
Morality
3%
Ideas
3%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 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 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · 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 3 · Intense 5

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 4 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
5
Dread
2
Absurd
2
Warm
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Porter's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sean Porter'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

19 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Lilo & Stitch 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)

    Cinematographer

  • I Play Rocky(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Skeleton Crew(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • The Greatest Beer Run Ever(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Old Man(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Green Book(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Rough Night(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • 20th Century Women(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Trust(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Green Room(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Oasis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • Eden(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • It Felt Like Love(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Bass Ackwards(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Humpday(2009)

    Camera Operator · Gaffer · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Death and a Salesman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • We Go Way Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles, 17 of them dated from 2006 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Green Book (2018)

$322M worldwide

Highest rated

Green Book (2018)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography18 of 19: 17 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thOther crew2 of 19: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s11 · crew2020s3 · 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 Sean Porter's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · cinematographer

I Play Rocky (2026)

74th percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Green Book (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 67/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 56. 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 Sean Porter's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 43 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles19–61 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles51–89 · median 72 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles59–67 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 34 · mildMedian 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 Sean Porter work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sean Porter's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Farrelly shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Producers