Light Touch: How Hollywood gets lit

There are scenes within film and television that are defined by their lighting – aquality that becomes acornerstone before actors even speak their first line. Gaffer and lighting technician Jon Haney cut his teeth on films likeTitanic andThe Negotiator,and quickly came to understand the importance of an element in visual media that’s crucial but often overlooked.

Over the last three decades, Haney has become an integral part of designing lighting for television shows includingCSI: Crime Scene Investigation,Grey’s Anatomy, andHow to Get Away with Murder, and witnessed his profession change with the rise of streaming.

LWLies: There were many Directors of Photography credited on the 15 seasons ofCSI, but you remained. What was the collaboration dynamic over the course of the series? As the gaffer who was there from the beginning, you clearly brought consistency.

Haney: The initial plan from the producers, mainly Jerry Bruckheimer, was to make this areally contrasty show. This was aCSIworking all night long. We wanted to get that feeling of darkness and serious mystery. Danny Cannon, who directed the pilot and many episodes, was also an executive producer on the show and was highly creative. He helped design these glass sets stretching roughly 130ft. You see through each room, revealing layer upon layer of light. We chose to convey depth and mood by changing colors, careful not to make it look like aFroot Loop Bowl, using Par cans and Source Fours. We kept the light off the walls and objects using the blades. We added practicals and aimed at metal objects forkicks.

How much of your strategy do you bring to interpreting the vision of afilm or show? How did you learn to work with small light sources to create these layered setups?

I think outside the box in everything Ido. It’s really cool to be able to work with different types of DPs. Some were really good at lighting, and Ilearned atremendous amount from them. I’ve also had bosses who were really terrible at lighting. As Ibecame better at lighting, they became more dependent onme.

The flashlight technique used onCSI came from working on theTitanic. We used Xenon Flashlights on the boat as amain source, and needed away to soften the light. Iwent to the grips, sourced materials, and built acustom softbox with interchangeable diffusion. Ishowed Russell Carpenter. He said, ​“Amazing – make more”. Ibuilt four or five and became the guy who followed him. When the cops held flashlights onCSI, Ilit the scene with the flashlight softbox. The light reflecting back in their faces added akinetic feel. There’s movement to it. It’s not static.