---
name: "Michael Slovis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-slovis"
fi1m_id: "michael-slovis"
imdb_id: "nm0806252"
tmdb_id: 52034
wikidata_id: "Q6834453"
roles: ["Director"]
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 76
average_as: "director"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-14T04:06:10.446871+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Slovis

## Identity

Michael Slovis

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/michael-slovis
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-slovis
- **IMDb ID:** nm0806252
- **TMDB ID:** 52034
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6834453
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Slovis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6834453, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0806252/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/52034

Director. Born in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Active:** 1999–present
- **Also known as:** Mike Slovis 
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 7 directing, 3 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Michelle MacLaren](https://film.one/person/michelle-maclaren.md), [Daniel Sackheim](https://film.one/person/daniel-sackheim.md), [Adam Bernstein](https://film.one/person/adam-bernstein.md), [Karen Gaviola](https://film.one/person/karen-gaviola.md), [Tricia Brock](https://film.one/person/tricia-brock.md), [Alik Sakharov](https://film.one/person/alik-sakharov.md), [Bethany Rooney](https://film.one/person/bethany-rooney.md), [Bronwen Hughes](https://film.one/person/bronwen-hughes.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won · 6 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 76, as director, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 82 (4), 2010s 74 (6)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 76 to 71 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Action & Adventure 3, Crime 2, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 2, Comedy 1, War & Politics 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Slovis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6834453, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0806252/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/52034

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Breaking Bad*](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md) (91), [*Better Call Saul*](https://film.one/tv/better-call-saul.md) (84), [*The Walking Dead*](https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md) (68)
- **Disney+:** [*Fringe*](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md) (80), [*Castle*](https://film.one/tv/castle.md) (73), [*The Looming Tower*](https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower.md) (70)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Leftovers*](https://film.one/tv/the-leftovers.md) (87), [*Game of Thrones*](https://film.one/tv/game-of-thrones.md) (82)
- **Hulu:** [*30 Rock*](https://film.one/tv/30-rock.md) (86)
- **AMC+:** [*Hell on Wheels*](https://film.one/tv/hell-on-wheels.md) (52)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Michael Slovis

> Michael Slovis makes space and shadow do useful dramatic work. We rate his willingness to hold a shot and let actors work, even when it makes his own contribution less conspicuous.

In *Breaking Bad* (2008), there can be too much empty space around a person for comfort. Michael Slovis’s controlled compositions make us inspect the frame for danger before anybody on screen has identified it. We felt uneasy because those unoccupied areas gave us somewhere to expect trouble. That is the strongest reason to value his work: he can make a wide shot carry tension without asking an actor to announce it.

Slovis first directed an episode of *Ed* in 2004, then joined *Breaking Bad* as director of photography in its second series, in 2009. He also directed four episodes of *Breaking Bad*. His preference for wide shots lets surroundings express isolation, while his willingness to leave a scene relatively uncut gives performances time to develop. We rate that patience. It is worth distinguishing, though, between the cinematography our review singles out and the direction of an entire programme.

The images work partly because the rooms remain ordinary. Production designers Robb Wilson King and Mark S. Freeborn make the domestic spaces cramped and unglamorous, helping Walter White’s dissatisfaction make sense without making it admirable. Slovis’s shadows and selective highlights serve the story rather than turn each scene into an exhibition of lighting. That restraint is particularly welcome in a programme whose cleverness can sometimes become a nuisance.

After *Breaking Bad*, directing became his main focus, with work on *Game of Thrones* in 2015 and *The Walking Dead* in 2016. His habit is to fit an existing programme’s visual approach, then make small adjustments rather than insist on being noticed. The reservation is that this can make his direction difficult to distinguish from the work around it. We would not treat his name on an episode as a promise of the same impact as *Breaking Bad*. Start there for the framing; approach the later directing work expecting someone who wants the scene to succeed without drawing attention to himself.

## Biography

Michael Slovis is an American cinematographer, television director and producer. He trained at the Rochester Institute of Technology and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. After working for many years as a camera operator, he became a cinematographer in 1995 on feature films including *Party Girl* (1995).

In television, Slovis served as director of photography on the series *Ed* (2000), *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* (2000), *Fringe* (2008), *Royal Pains* (2009) and *Breaking Bad* (2008), where he shot from the second season onwards. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series for his work on *CSI* in 2006 and received further nominations for *Breaking Bad*.

Slovis has also directed episodes of *Ed*, *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, *Breaking Bad*, *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* and other series. He joined the American Society of Cinematographers in 2010.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, rit.edu.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Directed (7) — the average rests on these

- *The Looming Tower* (2018), Fi1m 70, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower.md)
- *Better Call Saul* (2015), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/better-call-saul.md)
- *Game of Thrones* (2011), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/game-of-thrones.md)
- *Hell on Wheels* (2011), Fi1m 52, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/hell-on-wheels.md)
- *The Walking Dead* (2010), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md)
- *Breaking Bad* (2008), Fi1m 91, Director, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md)
- *30 Rock* (2006), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/30-rock.md)

### Crew (3)

- *The Leftovers* (2014), Fi1m 87, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-leftovers.md)
- *Castle* (2009), Fi1m 73, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/castle.md)
- *Fringe* (2008), Fi1m 80, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live* (2024), series, Director
- *The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon* (2023), series, Director
- *The Walking Dead: Dead City* (2023), series, Director
- *The Calling* (2022), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Organized Crime* (2021), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *Pizza Party* (2020), Executive Producer
- *New Amsterdam* (2018), series, Director, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer
- *The Looming Tower* (2018), series, Director — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower.md)
- *Preacher* (2016), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *Better Call Saul* (2015), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/better-call-saul.md)
- *The Man in the High Castle* (2015), series, Director
- *The Affair* (2014), series, Director
- *Gracepoint* (2014), series, Director
- *The Leftovers* (2014), series, Director of Photography — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-leftovers.md)
- *Chicago P.D.* (2014), series, Director
- *Once Upon a Time in Wonderland* (2013), series, Director
- *Chicago Fire* (2012), series, Director
- *Elementary* (2012), series, Director
- *Hell on Wheels* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/tv/hell-on-wheels.md)
- *Game of Thrones* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/game-of-thrones.md)
- *The Walking Dead* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-walking-dead.md)
- *Rubicon* (2010), series, Director
- *Royal Pains* (2009), series, Director of Photography
- *Castle* (2009), series, Director of Photography — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/castle.md)
- *Fringe* (2008), series, Director of Photography — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)
- *New Amsterdam* (2008), series, Director of Photography
- *Breaking Bad* (2008), series, Director, Director of Photography — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md)
- *30 Rock* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/30-rock.md)
- *The Marksman* (2005), Director of Photography
- *7 Seconds* (2005), as Other
- *The Foreigner* (2003), Director of Photography
- *Half Past Dead* (2002), Director of Photography
- *Spirit* (2001), Director
- *Ed* (2000), series, Director
- *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* (2000), series, Director
- *Ready to Run* (2000), Director of Photography
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, Director
- *The 4th Floor* (1999), Director of Photography
- *Five Aces* (1999), Director of Photography
- *The Thirteenth Year* (1999), Director of Photography
- *The White Raven* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Halloweentown* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Scarred City* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Crash Dive* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Out of Nowhere* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Seduction in a Small Town* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Passion* (1996), Camera Operator
- *Vibrations* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Malicious* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Party Girl* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Heading Home* (1995), Director of Photography, Co-Producer
- *Breach of Trust* (1995), Director of Photography
- *The Burning Ghat* (1990), Director of Photography
- *Coyote Mountain* (1990), Cinematography
- *Cecelia In The Looking Glass* (1984), Director of Photography
- *Vernon, Florida* (1981), Assistant Camera
- *C.O.D.* (1981), Electrician

## Gallery

- ![Breaking Bad Season 4 (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/61046/gallery-b45d5804f1f6.jpg) Breaking Bad Season 4 (2011) — Irmin Wehmeier, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Breaking_Bad_Season_4_%285610166931%29.jpg/1280px-Breaking_Bad_Season_4_%285610166931%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Michael Slovis](https://film.one/media/person/61046/gallery-9a06d97e687c.jpg) Michael Slovis — Montclair Film Fest, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Michael_Slovis.jpg/1280px-Michael_Slovis.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Slovis at the Montclair Film Festival in 2013](https://film.one/media/person/61046/gallery-a69259e1dd72.jpg) Slovis at the Montclair Film Festival in 2013 — Montclair Film Fest, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Michael_Slovis_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won, 6 nominated

- 2014: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (nominated), for *Breaking Bad*
- 2013: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (nominated), for *Breaking Bad*
- 2012: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (nominated), for *Breaking Bad*
- 2010: Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series (nominated), for *Breaking Bad*
- 2009: Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series (nominated), for *Breaking Bad*
- 2007: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (nominated), for *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*
- 2006: Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/michael-slovis