Light Touch: How Hollywood gets lit

Little White Lies, Features, JAN 2026

The article can be accessed here: https://lwlies.com/hard-craft/light-touch-how-hollywood-gets-lit

Gaffer Jon Haney is responsible for literally lighting up the screen – what does that mean in the digital age?

As we develop our taste for cinema, stylistic elements refuse to be overlooked. There are scenes that can only be defined by their lighting, qualities that become a cornerstone before actors speak their first line. Working on films like Titanic and The Negotiator fostered a talent that keeps us enveloped within worlds that don’t exist beyond the frame.

Gaffer/ Chief Lighting Technician Jon Haney’s brilliance far exceeded expectations for a crime drama over the last three decades, creating iconic lighting for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation that led to the depths of Lucifer and How to Get Away with Murder. Donning an intuitive, humble view of his work, Haney offers his perspective on film that’s memorable even to the untrained eye.