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Steven Holleran

Steven Holleran

Cinematographer and director · Carlsbad, California, USA

Steven Holleran is an American writer, director, and cinematographer. He is best known for the films Missing (2023), Sympathy for the Devil (2023,) Creed II (2018), and The Land (2016). Selected to Variety's Artisan Elite List, he has shot multiple features and doc-series that played Sundance, TIFF, and SXSW. He has gained wide acclaim for his directing and camerawork on the premium adventure and nature doc-series The Climb (2023), Prehistoric Planet (2022), Head Above Water (2022) Age of AI (2020), and Fire Chasers (2016). He has an MFA in Film Production from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and is a 2008 Thomas J. Watson Fellow.

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Biography from IMDb.

From
Carlsbad, California, USA
Works as
Cinematographer and director
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 15 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 16% in 30 days

What are Steven Holleran's films like?

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

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Action 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
46%
Morality
12%
Survival
12%
Ideas
12%
Society
8%
Bonds
5%
Power
3%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · 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 4

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

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 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 3

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Contemplative
4
Dread
3
Melancholic
2
Hopeful
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Thought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Steven Holleran's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Steven Holleran'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

15 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Sympathy for the Devil(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Missing(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Climb(2023)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Prehistoric Planet(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Aerial Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Chick Fight(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • A Chef's Voyage(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Obituary of Tunde Johnson(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Age of A.I.(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Creed II(2018)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Fire Chasers(2017)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • The Land(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Selma: The Bridge To The Ballot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • A Different Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    First Assistant Camera

  • Headhunters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles, 10 of them dated from 2013 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Missing (2023)

$49M worldwide

Highest rated

Missing (2023)

Midcredits 87th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 11: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography8 of 11: 8 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stOther crew1 of 11: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s5 · crew2020s5 · 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 Steven Holleran's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 37th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · cinematographer

A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. (2018)

89th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Prehistoric Planet (2022)

Midcredits 97th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 69/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 49. 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 Steven Holleran's work okay for kids?

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

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 16 · 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 Steven Holleran work with?

People who share at least 2 of Steven Holleran's MovieCove titles; Danny Beaser shares the most, 2.