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Motif

Justin Maguire

Cinematographer, also actor

Justin Maguire is a multi award winning natural history cinematographer with over 35 years film experience. He has worked on numerous landmark Wildlife TV series in over 45 countries on all 7 continents. Justin’s multiple skills allow him to film anything from ants to elephants, from the Arctic to the Sahara. Although most of his work is pure blue chip natural history, he also has extensive experience filming human stories. His technical experience including, IR, thermal imaging, high speed, time-lapse, motion control, Shotover, GSS, Cineflex, drone, gimbal, long lens, macro and studio work on formats including digital, 3D IMAX, 35mm, and 16mm. Justin was born in South Africa, grew up in Cape Town, after which he spent many years split between the UK and South Africa. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Cinematographer, also actor
Titles
16 on Motif · 21 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 39 days to Oct 28

What are Justin Maguire's films like?

Across their 17 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
36%
Survival
28%
Bonds
13%
Society
13%
Self
9%
Power
2%
Nature12 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
16
Warm
12
Thrilling
2
Hopeful
5
Joyful
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Hopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet8
  • Cyclical7

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 Justin Maguire's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Justin Maguire'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

21 credits, 16 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Our Oceans(2024)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Frozen Planet II(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer · as Self - Cameraman

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Hidden Kingdoms of China(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Our Planet(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Great Bear Rainforest: Land of the Spirit Bear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Camera Operator

  • Hostile Planet(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Seven Worlds One Planet(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Expedition China(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Born in China(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Planet Earth II(2016)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Invasion of the Killer Whales (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • Wild Canada(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Life Story(2014)

    Show Cinematographer · as Self - Cameraman

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Wild Arabia(2013)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The Great Rift: Africa's Greatest Story(2010)

    Show Cinematographer · as Self

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Nature's Great Events(2009)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Wild China(2008)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Earth(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Iceberg That Sank the Titanic (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • The Life of Mammals (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Additional Photography · Cinematographer

  • The Spy Who Caught a Cold (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Clapper Loader

Career shape

A full career of 8 titles from 1995 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Earth (2007)

$109M worldwide

Highest rated

Seven Worlds One Planet (2019)

Motif 99th

Most popular right now

Planet Earth II (2016)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography5 of 8: 4 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 8: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Justin Maguire's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Motif score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th2

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · cinematographer

Planet Earth II (2016)

66th percentile spread · 11% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Seven Worlds One Planet (2019)

Motif 99th · 97% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 87/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 88, detractors 80. 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.

Who does Justin Maguire work with?

People who share at least 2 of Justin Maguire's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Barrie Britton shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles