For cinematographer John Brawley, working on ‘Shrinking’ wasn’t just another job—it was a cathartic, deeply personal experience that resonated far beyond the lens.
“It’s one of the best shows that I’ve ever had a chance to be a part of, just because the cast and the crew—there’s such a wonderful camaraderie that comes with making a show like this,” Brawley says of joining the series. “Even thematically, dealing with some of the issues that therapy deals with, it’s inevitable that you start thinking about how it affects your own life, even talking to the crew about those issues as they come up.”
Cinematographer John Brawley joined ‘Shrinking’ in Season 2 and brought a subtle evolution to the show’s visual language. In his conversation with Awards Focus, he reflects on working with co-creator Bill Lawrence, adjusting the visual tone to match the season’s themes of forgiveness, and collaborating with a rotating roster of directors. Brawley also breaks down the technical side—from lens and camera choices to the challenges of filming multi-character scenes—and shares what it was like to shoot Harrison Ford’s emotional monologue in the season finale.
‘Shrinking’ started as a comedy series where a grieving therapist, Jimmy (Jason Segel) breaks the rules and tells the blunt truth to his clients. In ignoring his own training and ethics, Jimmy starts changing people’s lives as well as his own. The series has certainly grown into a true ensemble comedy series where the writers have found the right balance between work and home life.
Created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel, ‘Shrinking’ stars Segel, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Lukita Maxwell, and Ted McGinley. Co-creator Brett Goldstein joined the cast in a recurring role.
Seasons 1-2 of ‘Shrinking’ are streaming on Apple TV+.
Awards Focus: It’s so nice to meet you today. How are you doing?
John Brawley: Very well, very well.
AF: ‘Shrinking’ is one of the best shows on all of TV right now and I felt the second season has improved on the first. How did you first become attached to the series for the second season?
Brawley: Thanks. I got to work with Bill on another one of his shows, Bad Monkey, in Miami. I really connected with Bill and the rest of the Doozer team.
When ‘Shrinking’ came up as a possibility, I was very excited to get to work with Bill, work on a new show, and a show that I loved as well.
AF: The show already had an established look with Jim Frohna being the cinematographer for the first season. What were the challenges to keeping to the established look while also making it your own as a cinematographer?
Brawley: Well, I think with any seasonal episodic television, you always want it to evolve in some way between seasons, even if it’s a show that I’ve already established to look on. But on a show like this, too, thematically, it’s evolving.
When I first met with Bill to talk about the show, he told me the first season was all about this idea of grief and the extreme darkness of grief, but the second season would be more thematically about forgiveness. That opens a door to introduce a different kind of approach to how you do a visual.
Of course, it’s going to be different when you have a different cinematographer, anyway, but it made me a little bit more relaxed about not having to perfectly match what happened in the first season because it wasn’t appropriate anymore. Thematically, we’re dealing with different subject matter.
It meant that we could do some different things in terms of the visual approach in the way that we went about things.
AF: What camera and lens did you use?
Brawley: We stuck with more or less the same camera package from Panavision. It was an Arri Alexa Mini LF. We did change our lens package a little bit, though, and that was really a more of a practical solution.
The first season was shot on a combination of Ultra Speeds and H series Panavision lenses. The second season was shot with Panaspeeds, which were detuned to look a little bit like an older, more vintage lens.
We also had some other custom aberrations that were added that were really just to take the edge off, make it look a little bit similar to the first season. But actually, they were a bit different, and just a little bit easier.
We shot a lot more with three cameras in this season, which was a difference to the first season. That was just a little bit of a practical choice as well, so that just suited us well. Some of those other Panavision lenses are a little bit easier to get in those numbers.
AF: There were multiple directors for season 2. Can you talk about collaborating with them?
Brawley: One of the things I love most about working in television is getting to work with different directors. Every director is going to have their own approach, their own visual language, and their own way that they want to approach working with the actors.
I love getting to coach them into a show, even if they’re returning to a show like James Ponsoldt, for example. He established the first season and he was the pilot director. But I think it was Episode 7 or one of the later episodes that he came in.
It was welcoming him back to his own show, but we’ve remodeled it a little bit. I really enjoy that process of getting getting to work with new directors, getting them up to speed, getting myself up to speed with working with them, and adapting as well.
AF: Was there a particular scene or sequence that brought about the most challenges in terms of cinematography?
Brawley: I think ‘Shrinking’ is a really interesting show, because it is overtly comic in some ways. It’s not a sitcom or anything, but it does have outrageous moments. It also has these amazing—in the same scene—moments of pathos and deep emotional resonance.
So for me, creating the right environment for those moments to allow to be allowed to happen. For example, when Jimmy first realizes and when we first meet the character that Brett Goldstein plays, the drunk driver character. Creating an emotional space for that to be able to happen, switching out of absurd jokes and laughs to to those deeply emotional moments, especially with actors like Jason and Brett as well.
They’re both very serious actors, even though they overtly would be known for their comedy roles. But to actually allow them to be in the right emotional space on set and creating the right tone for that is something that I really enjoy setting up and making for them.
AF: The season 2 finale is probably one of the most beautifully made finales that I’ve seen in some time, especially with Harrison Ford’s monologue. What was it like to be apart of that moment?
Brawley: Yeah. It was great. It was unusual, because it was Bill himself directing, which is something I really look forward to.
It’s a challenge, because you’ve got all of the actors in one space. It’s unusual for ‘Shrinking,’ I think, for everybody to be in the same room. And again, going back to what I was saying before, creating the right emotional states within the crew, setting the right environment for those moments to happen, and for the actors to feel like they’re supported, to create that.
Bill had a very specific idea about how that would play out in his mind in terms of the staging, and it was a matter of arranging those pieces, and then getting out of the way, letting the actors have those moments, especially when you have such a strong and great cast.
It’s really just supporting them without drawing attention to yourself, allowing them to have the most freedom to be able to play and try things out, and give up themselves in a most full way that they can feel free to take risk, and do things.
It was a great moment to be, but it was pretty chaotic as well, having that cast. They’re such a great cast and they’re all wonderful people, but putting them all in the same room and then trying to create these big scenes was pretty funny.
AF: I imagine there is room for improv and all that.
Brawley: Oh, look, I think it was all happening when the cameras weren’t rolling, to be honest.
But everyone was pretty serious. Everyone knew that there was a great emotional undercurrent to go in that scene as well.
I think it was great, and it was like, as much as we were filming, documenting that monologue. I think all the cast were enthralled to have front row seats for it as well. I think they were pretty happy to be there.
AF: I spoke with Jessica recently and she mentioned that everyone was crying when Harrison Ford delivered his monologue.
Brawley: It was very emotional. Yeah. Harrison has a great ability to make that happen in a very short amount of time.
It just kinda all of a sudden goes from 0 to 150, and I think everybody was just gripped to be there, it felt very lucky, and very special. I felt very lucky and felt very special to be a part of that.
AF: Did you ever have a pinch-me moment that you’re working on a series that Harrison Ford is starring in?
Brawley: Yeah, absolutely. Obviously, he’s such an iconic figure and he’s such a wonderful human being to just be on set with.
I mostly was trying not to embarrass myself. But, I mean, he’s a very accessible person. I was lucky enough to have my daughter come and visit a couple of times. He immediately came over, and wanted to hold her, kiss her, and meet her.
That was a pretty amazing moment that I’ll never forget.
AF: My understanding is that filming is gonna get underway in early 2025. Are there any plans at the moment to return for season 3? (This interview was conducted in late December 2024)
Brawley: That’s looking to be very likely, yes.
AF: Alright. Well, I can’t wait to see what the next season brings. I’m not looking forward to the very long wait–at least it shouldn’t be as lengthy of a wait between season 1 and season 2 because of the strikes.
Brawley: Yeah, I think so. I think it hopefully won’t be too long. I’m very much looking forward, too.
It’s one of the best shows that I’ve ever had a chance to be a part of, just because the cast and the crew—there’s such a wonderful camaraderie that comes with making a show like this.
Even thematically, dealing with some of the issues that therapy deals with, it’s inevitable that you start thinking about how it affects your own life, even talking to the crew about those issues as they come up.
It’s very cathartic to get to work on a show like this. And, as I say, there’s such a great culture, which I think starts with Bill and Doozer at the top that infuses the entire set, that it just makes it feel very special to be a part of it.
AF: Thank you so much.
Brawley: You too, enjoy.