Cinematographer Suki Medencevic, ASC, held a masterclass today at the Manaki Cinema in Bitola as part of the 47th edition of the “Manaki Brothers” International Cinematographers’ Film Festival. The lecture focused on his work on the TV show Shining Vale; through this project, Medencevic explained in detail the process of creating the show’s visual language—ranging from the choice of camera and lenses to lighting, colour, and the way cinematography supports the story.

Medencevic showed the audience scenes, trailers, and behind-the-scenes footage from Shining Vale, explaining the decisions behind the show’s visual style. He also discussed the challenges when creating the house—a key element of the story—a space that gradually evolves into something akin to a character in its own right.

Shining Vale is a horror-comedy about a dysfunctional family attempting a fresh start by moving from the city to an old house with a dark past. The story follows the Phelps family, whose relationships become increasingly complicated after the mother, Pat—a writer struggling with writer’s block and her own psychological issues—begins to experience strange and supernatural phenomena in the house.

“What drew me to the story was the level of storytelling,” Medencevic said about the reasons that made the project interesting. In his view, the visual approach must serve the story, and he paid particular attention to lighting, colour, and lens selection.

Lighting and the use of colour were, in fact, key topics of his lecture. Medencevic explained that warmer tones were used for Shining Vale, and that the choice of lenses was crucial for establishing a specific mood in various scenes.

“I really like having light in the middle of the frame. It creates a dramatic, theatrical look,” he explained, highlighting how lighting can become part of the visual narrative rather than merely a technical tool for
illuminating the scene.

One of the most interesting moments of the masterclass was how Medencevic described the lighting of the house. The show’s original pilot was filmed in an old house in South Pasadena, but for the subsequent episodes, the production team built a replica of the house on a studio set. This presented a unique challenge for the cinematographer: the set had to look natural regardless of the camera angle.

“We had to create a location just like the house in Pasadena. We had a lot of ambient light. There were soft lights above the windows,” Medencevic explained, discussing the practical solutions used to achieve the desired look.

He also shared an example of how limitations can lead to simple yet effective solutions. When there isn’t a large budget for equipment, he explained, paper lanterns can be used to create soft light.