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Bill Kirstein

Bill Kirstein

Cinematographer and producer

Bill Kirstein is an award winning cinematographer based in New York. His work is characterized by a considered, personal approach to framing and camera movement that seeks to dispel preconceptions of iconic subjects in order to portray the unexpected. With more than a decade of experience lensing narrative, documentary and commercial films all over the world, Bill has collaborated with some of the biggest artists including Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Justin Timberlake, Rene Rapp, Maya Hawke, Zoe Saldana, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Usher, John Legend, and Adele, and his work has competed and screened at all the top festivals including Venice, Cannes, Tribeca, Locarno, Berlinale, SXSW, New York Film Festival, AFI, Camerimage among others. His most recent credits include Mean Girls (2024) for Paramount, with directors Samantha Jayne & Arturo Perez Jr. and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Opus with director Neo Sora that debuted at La Biennale di Venezia 2023.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Cinematographer and producer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 26 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 23% in 30 days

What are Bill Kirstein's films like?

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

Genres

Documentary7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th 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
Society
44%
Self
35%
Survival
7%
Ideas
7%
Power
3%
Bonds
2%
Morality
2%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
6
Melancholic
4
Warm
3
Hopeful
4
Joyful
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Bill Kirstein's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bill Kirstein'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, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Poreless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • The Believers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Cinematographer

  • Happyend(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Fly Me to the Moon(2024)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mean Girls(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing the Piano 2022 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • Fragments of Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • Sisters with Transistors(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Almost a Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • The Soul of America(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Marriage Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Producer

  • The Chicken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • So Pretty(2019)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • McCartney: Grand Central(2018)

    Cinematographer

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

  • Common Structure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • Fuck Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • BEYONCÉ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Beyoncé: Self-Titled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer

  • Beyoncé: Self-Titled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 5 episodes · Producer

  • Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • 20/20 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • All Day Is a Long Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles, 22 of them dated from 2013 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Mean Girls (2024)

$105M worldwide

Highest rated

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Mean Girls (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 24: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting1 of 24: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing5 of 24: 4 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography17 of 24: 16 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

By decade

2010s8 · crew2020s14 · 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 Bill Kirstein's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 12; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

McCartney: Grand Central (2018)

92nd percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 68/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 50. 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 Bill Kirstein work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bill Kirstein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arturo Perez Jr. shares the most, 2.

Directors

Producers