# Michael Goi

Michael Goi (born March 4, 1959) is an American cinematographer and film director.
He is well known for his work on Showtime's Web Therapy, and for his work with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk on Glee, Scream Queens and American Horror Story. He also wrote and directed the infamous 2011 film Megan Is Missing.

## Career

He began his career as director of photography on a short horror film directed by John Strysik, The Music of Erich Zann, in 1980; and then on the comedy The Blues Brothers, as a production assistant. He went on to serve as cinematographer on film and television series, such as: Moonstalker, How U Like Me Now, What Matters Most, Call Waiting, Funky Monkey, Cloud 9, Witness Protection, My Name is Earl, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Mr. Sunshine, Salem and The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Goi has written and directed three feature films during his career; Voyeur, an action drama about a reluctant porn star and her biggest fan; Megan Is Missing (2011), about internet predators and the disappearance of Megan Stewart (Rachel Quinn); and MARY, starring Gary Oldman and Emily Mortimer, on which he also served as the cinematographer.

### Web Therapy

Goi served as the exclusive cinematographer on Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy throughout the entirety of its 87-episode run.

### Work with Ryan Murphy

As director of photography, Goi first worked with prolific writer/producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk on their (with Ian Brennan) FOX musical comedy Glee, in 2011, with the episode "Asian F". That same year he also began work on the duo's new FX series American Horror Story. His first episode on the series was the Murder House installment "Rubber Man". He went on to work on Murphy's short-lived NBC comedy The New Normal; and the trio's 2015 horror/comedy Scream Queens. During the fourth season of American Horror Story, Goi made his series directorial debut with "Magical Thinking". He served as the series' exclusive cinematographer from the premiere of Asylum, until the end of the fifth season. He was succeeded in the capacity by Breaking Bad's Nelson Cragg, with the commencement of the sixth year.

## Personal life

Goi is of Japanese descent.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1989 | Chains | No | Yes | |
| 1999 | Voyeur | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | Megan Is Missing | Yes | Yes | Also editor and co-producer |
| 2019 | Mary | Yes | No | |
Cinematographer
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1982 | A Hunger Artist | |
| 1989 | Moonstalker | |
| 1989 | Chains | |
| 1989 | Sam and Sarah | Also editor |
| 1992 | How U Like Me Now | |
| 1992 | Hellmaster | |
| 1994 | Hollywood Hills 90028 | Also still photographer |
| 1995 | Ladies in Waiting | |
| 1996 | Evil Obsession | |
| 1996 | Frankie D. | |
| 1997 | Deadlock: A Passion for Murder | |
| 1998 | Hundred Percent | |
| 1998 | Vampire Centerfolds | With Geoffrey de Valois |
| 1998 | Sorority House Vampires | Uncredited |
| 1998 | Born Champion | |
| 1999 | The Awakening of Gabriella | |
| 1999 | Forbidden Sins | |
| 2001 | What Matters Most | |
| 2004 | Call Waiting | |
| 2004 | Funky Monkey | |
| 2004 | The Bike Squad | |
| 2006 | Cloud 9 | |
| 2006 | Fingerprints | |
| 2006 | Cut Off | |
| 2007 | The Dukes | |
| 2007 | Frankie D | |
| 2008 | Witless Protection | |
| 2010 | Expecting Mary | |
| 2011 | Kiss and Tell: The History of Black Romance in Movie | Documentary |
| 2014 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown | |
| 2019 | Mary | |
| 2020 | Words on Bathroom Walls | |

### Television
#### Director

| Year | Title | Episode(s) |
| 2004 | Sexy Urban Legends | "Sleeping with Strangers" (Segment "Organ Donor") |
| 2015-2016 | American Horror Story | "Magical Thinking" |
| 2015-2016 | American Horror Story | "Room Service" |
| 2015-2016 | American Horror Story | "Flicker" |
| 2015-2016 | American Horror Story | "Chapter 2" |
| 2016 | Pretty Little Liars | "Hit and Run, Run, Run" |
| 2017 | Sleepy Hollow | "Child's Play" |
| 2017 | Famous in Love | "Taking Care of Business" |
| 2017 | Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments | "Those of Demon Blood" |
| 2017 | Nashville | "The Night Before (Life Goes On)" |
| 2018 | Falling Water | "Nothing Personal" |
| 2018 | Falling Water | "The Art of the Deal" |
| 2018 | The Arrangement | "Surface Tension" |
| 2018 | The Gifted | "coMplications" |
| 2018 | The Gifted | "iMprint" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Time of Death" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Plain Clothes Day" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Free Fall" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Impact" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Hand-Off" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "In Justice" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "The Squeeze" |
| 2018-2025 | The Rookie | "Wildfire" |
| 2019 | Empire | "My Fault Is Past" |
| 2019 | Swamp Thing | "The Anatomy Lesson" |
| 2019-2020 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | "Chapter Thirteen: The Passion of Sabrina Spellman" |
| 2019-2020 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | "Chapter Six: All Of Them Witches" |
| 2019-2023 | Riverdale | "Chapter Sixty-Five: In Treatment" |
| 2019-2023 | Riverdale | "Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two: Miss Teen Riverdale" |
| 2020 | Charmed | "Guess Who's Coming To SafeSpace Seattle" |
| 2021 | Big Sky | "Let It Be Him" |
| 2021 | Big Sky | "Nice Animals" |
| 2021 | Big Sky | "Love Is a Strange and Dangerous Thing" |
| 2021 | Kung Fu | "Guidance" |
| 2022-2023 | The Rookie: Feds | "Face Off" |
| 2022-2023 | The Rookie: Feds | "The Silent Prisoner" |
| 2022-2023 | The Rookie: Feds | "The Remora" |
| 2022-2023 | The Rookie: Feds | "Red One" |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | "Aang" |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | "Warriors" |

#### Cinematographer

TV movies
* The Fixer (1998)
* Who Killed Atlanta's Children? (2000)
* Christmas Rush (2002)
* Red Water (2003)
* Judas (2004)
* Katie Sullivan (2006)
* Life on Mars (2008)
* The Untitled Michael Jacobs Pilot (2010)
* How to Be a Better American (2010)
* Bloodline (2013)
* The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez (2016)
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1999 | The Pleasure Zone | 13 episodes |
| 1999-2000 | Nightcap | 11 episodes |
| 2001 | Lady Chatterley's Stories | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Invasion | Episode "The Last Wave Goodbye" (With Jeffrey Jur) |
| 2007 | The Wedding Bells | All 7 episodes |
| 2007-2008 | My Name Is Earl | 23 episodes |
| 2008-2013 | Web Therapy | 64 episodes |
| 2009 | In the Motherhood | 4 episodes |
| 2009-2010 | The Mentalist | 7 episodes |
| 2011 | The Nine Lives of Chloe King | 9 episodes |
| 2011 | Mr. Sunshine | 12 episodes |
| 2011-2012 | Glee | 7 episodes |
| 2011-2013 | Web Therapy | 23 episodes |
| 2011-2016 | American Horror Story | 52 episodes |
| 2012 | The New Normal | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2014 | Salem | 12 episodes |
| 2015 | Scream Queens | Episodes "Pilot" and "Hell Week" |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Episodes "Aang" and "Warriors" |