It’s hard to find a modern comedy that wears its heart on its sleeve quite like Apple TV+’s “Shrinking.” According to cinematographer John Brawley, the series’ emotional evolution isn’t just reflected in its characters, but elegantly built into their visual world as well.
Speaking during IndieWire’s 2026 Craft Roundtable for cinematography, Brawley explained how each season of the acclaimed series is guided by a distinct thematic idea — giving the creatives behind it a foundation for developing each season’s unique look.
“Each season has its own narrative arc, and it was very clear from the writers what that would be about,” Brawley said. “The first season’s grief, second season’s forgiveness, and the third season was moving on. It gives you a lot of license, for the whole of the season, to make changes.”
For Brawley, those themes influence everything from lighting to camera coverage. As “Shrinking” shifted from grief toward forgiveness in Season 2, the DP and his collaborators embraced a brighter, more optimistic aesthetic.
“With forgiveness, to me, the whole look is a little bit more open. It’s a little bit more colorful. It’s a little bit more hopeful,” Brawley said. “That was kind of just a thematic idea that we had, and it can translate in lots of different ways in terms of the way you’re lighting things, the way you’re developing a look in pre-production, and the choices you make in terms of staging and coverage.”
It’s a strong reminder that cinematography isn’t just about capturing beautiful images, but helping audiences fully inhabit each stage of a story’s emotional progression as it unfolds.
IndieWire’s TV Craft Roundtables is now streaming on @PBSSoCal and the PBS App as well as IndieWire.com and our social channels.
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