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Paul Atkins

Paul Atkins

Cinematographer and director, also actor

From Antarctica to the tropical Pacific, Paul Atkins, ASC has filmed the world's wildlife and cultures for National Geographic, Disney, the BBC including such acclaimed series as Planet Earth, for IMAX screens and feature films. His cinematography and directing have earned numerous awards including Emmys, British Academy Awards and a prestigious Telluride Film Festival Tribute. Paul's passion for the ocean brought him to Hawaii in 1974, where he pursued a Ph.D in marine biology at University of Hawaii and began working in the film business as an underwater and wildlife cinematographer. With his wife and producing partner, Grace Atkins, Paul filmed and directed groundbreaking documentaries that challenged our myths and inspired protection of the natural world, including the Emmy-winning Hawaii: Strangers in Paradise (Nat Geo/BBC), Great White Shark (BBC/Nat Geo) and Dolphins: The Wild Side (Nat Geo). Paul was director of photography on Jean-Michel Cousteau's Voyage to Kure, the film that persuaded President George W. Bush to declare the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a National Monument in 2006. More recently, his work includes Disneynature's Dolphin Reed and Nat Geo's America's National Parks. Paul's narrative filmmaking spans numerous commercials, television series and feature films and he has worked with some of the world's most renown directors including Peter Weir on Master and Commander, Alejandro Inarritu on The Revenant, and Terrence Malick on The Tree of Life and other features. On a 40-day epic voyage around Cape Horn, he filmed for Master and Commander, which won the 2004 Academy Award for cinematography for Russell Boyd, ASC. His 2nd Unit shooting on The Tree of Life contributed to an Oscar nomination for cinematography, and Paul has continued to work with Malick on To the Wonder, Knight of Cups and as director of photography on his IMAX documentary about the evolution of the universe, The Voyage of Time.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer and director, also actor
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 38 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 63 days to Oct 26Up 7% in 30 days

What are Paul Atkins' films like?

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

Genres

Documentary7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 3rd 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
Survival
37%
Ideas
29%
Society
17%
Self
10%
Bonds
4%
Morality
3%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 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 4 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 3 · 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 5 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 2

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
11
Tense
5
Warm
6
Joyful
4
Melancholic
3
Other
15

How their films linger

Hopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical3

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 Paul Atkins' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Paul Atkins' 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

38 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • A Paradise Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • Bride Hard(2025)

    "C" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • May December(2023)

    "A" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • America's National Parks(2022)

    Show Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Letter: A Message for Our Earth(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Big Bend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Sharks of Hawaii (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Producer

  • The Mating Game(2021)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle(2020)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Blue(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Voyage of Time: Life's Journey(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Voyage of Time(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Revenant(2015)

    Second Unit Cinematographer · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Point Break(2015)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Knight of Cups(2015)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Muse(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Wild Hawaii(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Firefly 10th Anniversary: Browncoats Unite(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Tree of Life(2011)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Paradise Broken(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Heatstroke(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Tyrannosaurus Azteca(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Earth(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Tides of War(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tsunami - Killer Wave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • The Land Has Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

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

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Secret Killers of Monterey Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • National Geographic: The Filmmakers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • Dolphins: The Wild Side (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Night Orchid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Great White Shark - The Silent Stalker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

  • In the Wild: Dolphins With Robin Williams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • The Trials of Life(1990)

    Show 12 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Trials of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Cinematographer

  • Aliens From Inner Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Cinematographer

  • Natural World(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Hawaii: Sharks of the Fire Goddess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 30 titles, 29 of them dated from 1983 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Earth (2007)

$109M worldwide

Highest rated

Earth (2007)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Wild Hawaii (2014)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing5 of 30: 3 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting2 of 30: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 30: 1 only producing, 3 with another roleCinematography21 of 30: 19 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew4 of 30: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

30 titles, 3 with more than one role — cinematography and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s7 · crew2020s6 · 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 Paul Atkins' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 18; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 23 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · cinematographer

Paradise Broken (2011)

92nd percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Revenant (2015)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 68/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 53. 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.

Who does Paul Atkins work with?

People who share at least 2 of Paul Atkins' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alastair Fothergill shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers