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Tobias Datum

Cinematographer · Born September 19, 1975 (51) · Frankfurt, West Germany [now Germany]

Primetime Emmy nominee

Born
September 19, 1975 (51)
From
Frankfurt, West Germany [now Germany]
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
29 on MovieCove · 46 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 28% in 30 days

What are Tobias Datum's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th 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
40%
Bonds
27%
Society
11%
Morality
7%
Survival
7%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Self-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 8 · Charged 11 · Intense 0

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 6 · 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 11 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
11
Warm
9
Hopeful
6
Bittersweet
6
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous7

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 Tobias Datum's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 24 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tobias Datum'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

46 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page.

  • Elle(2026)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Murderbot(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Doctor Who(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all shows

  • Tiny Beautiful Things(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Moving On(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • True Story(2021)

    Show 7 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Fatherhood(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • French Exit(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Adam(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Morning Show(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • On Becoming a God in Central Florida(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Bel Canto(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Counterpart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 6 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Foam at the Mouth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • The Lovers(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Imposters(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Dixieland(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Bare(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Frank and Cindy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • I Killed My BFF (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Grandma(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ana Maria in Novela Land(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Eyes of a Thief(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Authors Anonymous(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Boys On Film 11: We Are Animals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • Algren(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Failure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • Mother, I Love You(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Kiss of the Damned(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Alaska Is a Drag (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Smashed(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Free Hugs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Terri(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Shoegazer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • Peep World(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Whistleblower(2010)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Amreeka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • T Takes: Brooklyn '09 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 6 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Viko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • I'm Gonna Explode (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Cinematographer

  • Momma's Man(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Broken Glass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Chaurahen(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Drama/Mex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 44 titles from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Grandma (2015)

$7.2M worldwide

Highest rated

Mother, I Love You (2013)

Midcredits 88th

Most popular right now

Doctor Who (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 44: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography43 of 44: 43 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57th

By decade

2000s8 · crew2010s27 · crew2020s9 · 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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2017–2018.

  1. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
  2. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Tobias Datum's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 29 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 29 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · cinematographer

Doctor Who (2023)

94th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Mother, I Love You (2013)

Midcredits 88th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 56/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 46. 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 Tobias Datum's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles21–74 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles21–60 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles41–66 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles16–74 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles21–62 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian 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 Tobias Datum work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tobias Datum's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul Weitz shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers