That Gaffer Girl – Mercy Hasselblad

Featured Work

A couple of highlights from the past year of doing lighting!

Mercy's Gaffing Reel

about me

hello & welcome

My name is Mercy Hasselblad,
Los Angeles based gaffer and DP.

A little while ago I was reading through a lighting manual and came across a description of a gaffer. A gaffer is the chief lighting technician, an obsessive person who thinks through each lighting scenario, in conjunction with the cinematographer. They’re often called upon to come up with creative solutions to rig and push light into unlikely places. This describes me.

Lighting Knowledge

I've spent the past 10 years a photographer. Before that, I was a professional illustrator. Each of these professions is all about light. Light shapes how we see the world.

Creativity

I'm a born problem-solver. I love difficult scenarios. I love building and fabricating solutions. I've built shelves, sheds, floors, and, of course, lighting grids, sets, and camera rigs.

Well-Rounded Knowledge

I've worked on sets as a producer, set designer, cinematographer, and AD. So I have a deep appreciation for every set job and how they work.

Preparing

I love planning everything out with the cinematographer and director. The more we plan out, the better chance we have of getting everything done!

portfolio

"Gone" Music Video Tawnee Kendall

I loved doing the lighting for this production. We met at an old Beverly Hills Mansion slated for demolition. The place had huge windows, which means I had to balance th...