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Rolf Steinmann

Cinematographer, also actor

Rolf Steinmann is a wildlife cameraman. Since 2005 he has worked on wildlife documentaries on all continents except Australia. He has contributed to many BBC series and has been featured in several BBC behind the scenes clips at the end of the episodes. To this day he has also filmed for three DisneyNature feature films. He is probably best known for his work in cold places.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Cinematographer, also actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 26 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 24% in 30 days

What are Rolf Steinmann's films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
36%
Ideas
36%
Society
13%
Bonds
9%
Self
6%
Nature17 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival16 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 0 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
17
Contemplative
18
Tense
6
Hopeful
6
Joyful
5
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical9

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 Rolf Steinmann's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Rolf Steinmann'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

26 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lion(2026)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Americas(2025)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Big Beasts(2023)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Planet Earth III(2023)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • A Year on Planet Earth(2022)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Frozen Planet II(2022)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Polar Bear(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • A Perfect Planet(2021)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Penguins: Life on the Edge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer · as Self

  • Earth at Night in Color(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Hidden Kingdoms of China(2020)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Penguins(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Hostile Planet(2019)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Dynasties(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Les heures sombres de l'Égypte antique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Camera Operator

  • Expedition China(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mexico: Earth's Festival of Life(2017)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Life In The Snow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Additional Photography

  • Born in China(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Planet Earth II(2016)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Wild West: America's Great Frontier(2016)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • In Between (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Story

  • The Hunt(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Additional Photography · Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Life Story(2014)

    Show Cinematographer · as Self - Cameraman

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Great Bear Stakeout(2013)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Wild Arabia(2013)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 8 titles from 2015 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Born in China (2016)

$25M worldwide

Highest rated

Dynasties (2018)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Planet Earth III (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 8: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 8: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 8: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography4 of 8: 3 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 8: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s6 · crew2020s2 · crew

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

How do Rolf Steinmann's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 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 4

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up20
  • 50th to 74th2

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · cinematographer

Planet Earth II (2016)

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

Most loved · cinematographer

Dynasties (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 86/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 88, detractors 78. 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 Rolf Steinmann work with?

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

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles