Brett Pawlak
Biography
Brett Pawlak is an American cinematographer known for his work on independent and mainstream films. A frequent collaborator of director Destin Daniel Cretton, he gained recognition for his cinematography on Short Term 12 (2013), where he used handheld camerawork and natural lighting to create a realistic aesthetic. In 2016, he served as the cinematographer for the pilot episode of This Is Us, establishing the show's visual style. Pawlak later reunited with Cretton for Just Mercy (2019), which featured a character-driven cinematographic approach. In 2023, he was announced as the director of photography for Marvel Studios' Wonder Man. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brett Pawlak, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Brett Pawlak
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Instant Family
Just Mercy
We Are Your Friends
This Is Us
Maggie
Short Term 12
The Glass Castle
Unicorn Store
Max Steel
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (47 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Director of Photography | Movie | 2026 |
 | Generations: The Evolution of Spider-Man | Self - Director of Photography | Movie | 2026 |
 | He Bled Neon | Director of Photography | Movie | 2026 |
 | Wonder Man | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2026 |
 | American Born Chinese | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2023 |
 | A Jazzman's Blues | Director of Photography | Movie | 2022 |
 | Echoes | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2022 |
 | NEXT | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2020 |
 | The 24th | Director of Photography | Movie | 2020 |
 | Just Mercy | Director of Photography | Movie | 2019 |
 | Instant Family | Director of Photography | Movie | 2018 |
 | Life Itself | Director of Photography | Movie | 2018 |
 | End of the Line | Director of Photography | Movie | 2018 |
 | Unicorn Store | Director of Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | The Glass Castle | Director of Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | MDMA | Director of Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | It's Been Like a Year | Director of Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | All We Had | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | Max Steel | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | This Is Us | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2016 |
 | REM | Additional Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Meddler | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Wannabe | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | We Are Your Friends | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | Maggie | Second Unit Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | GirlHouse | Additional Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
 | Hellion | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
| Short Term 12: Behind the Scenes | Self | Movie | 2014 | |
| Short Term 12: Behind the Scenes | Thanks | Movie | 2014 | |
 | Short Term 12 | Director of Photography | Movie | 2013 |
 | The Final Moments of Karl Brant | Director of Photography | Movie | 2013 |
 | I Am Not a Hipster | Director of Photography | Movie | 2013 |
 | Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2012 |
 | Pretty Tough | Director of Photography | Movie | 2011 |
 | Poker Run | First Assistant Camera | Movie | 2009 |
 | Call Back | Camera Operator | Movie | 2009 |
 | Short Term 12 | Director of Photography | Movie | 2008 |
 | Watercolors | Best Boy Grip | Movie | 2008 |
| Watercolors | Dolly Grip | Movie | 2008 |
 | A Simple Promise | Grip | Movie | 2008 |
 | Passed the Door of Darkness | Dolly Grip | Movie | 2008 |
 | Redrum | Grip | Movie | 2007 |
 | Days of Darkness | Second Unit Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
 | Ripple Effect | Key Grip | Movie | 2007 |
 | Holla | Grip | Movie | 2006 |
| Markings | Assistant Camera | Movie | 2005 | |
 | The Loneliest Road in America | Camera Operator | Movie | — |