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Paul Atkins
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…
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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.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2025
A Paradise Lost
Movie Director of Photography
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2025
Bride Hard
Movie "C" Camera Operator
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2023
May December
Movie "A" Camera Operator
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2021
The Big Bend
Movie Director of Photography
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2021
Sharks of Hawaii
Movie Producer
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2020
Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle
Movie Director
- 2020
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2017
Voyage of Time: Life's Journey
Movie Director of Photography
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2016
Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience
Movie Director of Photography
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2015
The Revenant
Movie Second Unit Cinematographer
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2015
Point Break
Movie Camera Operator
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2015
Knight of Cups
Movie Second Unit Director of Photography
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2014
Wild Hawaii
TV show Director of Photography
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2011
The Tree of Life
Movie Second Unit Director
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2008
Heatstroke
Movie Director of Photography
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2007
Tyrannosaurus Azteca
Movie Director of Photography
More credits
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2005
Tides of War
Movie Director of Photography
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2005
Tsunami - Killer Wave
Movie Director of Photography
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2004
The Land Has Eyes
Movie Director of Photography
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2002
The Life of Mammals
TV show Director of Photography
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2002
Secret Killers of Monterey Bay
Movie Director
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1999
National Geographic: The Filmmakers
Movie Director of Photography
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1999
Dolphins: The Wild Side
Movie Director
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1997
Night Orchid
Movie Director of Photography
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1995
Great White Shark - The Silent Stalker
Movie Producer
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1994
In the Wild: Dolphins With Robin Williams
Movie Director of Photography
- 1990
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1990
Trials of Life
TV show Director of Photography
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1990
The Trials of Life
Movie Director of Photography
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1983
Aliens From Inner Space
Movie Director of Photography
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1983
Natural World
TV show Director
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Hawaii: Sharks of the Fire Goddess
Movie Writer
