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Jeff Hutchens

Jeff Hutchens

Cinematographer

Emmy Award-winning Cinematographer Jeff Hutchens grew up across the U.S., China, South Africa, and the Philippines. After a decade on the road as an award-winning magazine photojournalist (Time / The New York Times Magazine / National Geographic) Jeff switched mediums and brought his innovative visual aesthetic to filmmaking. He has worked in over 70 countries, exploring social and cultural issues around the world with a long-form blend of intimate naturalism and surrealist noir. His cinematography credits include feature documentaries ("American Pain", "The Armor of Light", "The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales") and numerous top ranked documentary series for Netflix ("Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street" / "Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel" / "Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer" ), Showtime ("Murder in Big Horn" / "Buried" / "Dark Net" / "The Fourth Estate", "Murder in the Bayou"), HBO ("Southern Rites"), and CNN ("This Is Life with Lisa Ling" / "Chasing Life with Sanjay Gupta"). He recently directed "Remember This" his first narrative feature, starring Academy Award Nominee David Strathairn. He is based in New York City.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
30 on MovieCove
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)

Known for

What are Jeff Hutchens' films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
21%
Power
21%
Morality
19%
Survival
17%
Self
13%
Ideas
5%
Bonds
5%
Justice14 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief7 titles, browse their movies with this themePower5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

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

Steady 6 · 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 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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 4 · Even-paced 3 · 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 0 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Contemplative
16
Dread
12
Melancholic
13
Cold
6
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous13
  • 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 Jeff Hutchens' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jeff Hutchens' 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, 30 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

Across their 30 MovieCove titles from 2012 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Monk in Pieces (2025)

$39K worldwide

Highest rated

Maternal Instinct (2026)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography30 of 30: 30 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score56th

By decade

2010s7 · crew2020s23 · crew

Counts over their MovieCove titles; 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, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jeff Hutchens' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 30 titles are Broadly Agreed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · cinematographer

The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales (2022)

87th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Maternal Instinct (2026)

Midcredits 86th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 52/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 62, detractors 33. 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 Jeff Hutchens' work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Jeff Hutchens work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jeff Hutchens' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joe Berlinger shares the most, 9.

Directors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

  • Jon Kamen7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Jon Kamen
  • Jen Isaacson6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Jen Isaacson
  • Rachael Profiloski6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Rachael Profiloski
  • Tim Young5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Tim Young

Mixed roles