Mercy Hasselblad is a Los Angeles-based gaffer and cinematographer.

She started working in the film industry after years as a professional stills photographer. She owns and operates an “economy” package grip van.

“Gone” by Tawnee Kendall | Los Angeles gaffer Mercy Hasselblad

Director: Kari Lawson
Editor: Kari Lawson
Cinematography: Mortaza Rafiei, MSR Productions
Lighting: Mercy Hasselblad, Hasselblad Studios
Acting: Michael Abram
Costuming: Tawnee Kendall
Makeup & Hair: 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 the light inside and put in negative fill more than anything else. I did the vast majority of this with only two big lights, plus quite a few little MC Aputure lights for background interest. Because of the dreamy quality of the song, I also used a good amount of haze to catch the light and compliment the use of promist filters which the cinematographer was using.

The Grip Van

Funny Thing About Love (Brooke White) Los Angeles Gaffing and Cinematography

I loved working on this project with Summer Bellessa and Brooke White! I did the lighting and cinematography for all the scenes where Brooke is singing (they cut it in with clips from the movie for the video).

The first scene, in the woods, was pretty simple. I found a spot the sun wasn’t glaring and added a golden gel to a big light. Then I added a reflector to catch her eyes a big and started filming. Inside the church I filled it with haze and shot my big light through the window on a giant combo stand, again, gelled with some gold. The last sunset spot was interesting because my car wouldn’t make it, so I had to ditch most of my stuff and carry the cameras up in their car. We also had limited time, so we used a reflector and did what we could!

Together (Through the Word) Gaffing and Cinematography

Cinematography and gaffing by Mercy Hasselblad, direction and sound by Matthew Hasselblad, Produced by Through the Word. This is a full series of videos we produced for the ministry and Kris Langham. It was a lot of fun and we got to shoot at some epic locations!

Retro Light and Blinds Setup

So I did this test to work out the kinks in the lens mount I got for one of my Aputure lights. After the initial setup, I added some MC lights for the colorful gelled effect.

Fallout Trailer

This was a book trailer I did with cinematographer Mortaza Rafiei. This was a challenging set because we did all of the shots in the span of one day. Setup was rapid and we had to set up, get the shots, and move on very quickly.

Now, as a gaffer, I love working with cinematographers and directors to achieve their goals. I like setting up the right lights, making everything work invisibly, and being a part of a team of creatives.