Press & Interviews
Elvis Pasqual
Gaffer / Chief Lighting Technician
Film • Television • International Productions
Italy / Europe / Worldwide
· Selected Press & Interviews
American Cinematographer — “Into the Light — Lights to Diode For”
Featured in “Into the Light — Lights to Diode For”, an article discussing LED lighting, fixture selection, wireless control and modern set-lighting workflows.
Gaffers are among the first crew members to discover what LED lighting can and can't do, and this issue's feature gathers their perspectives on how the technology has reshaped their craft. Chris Hill, Gary Deneault, Andy Lowe, Matthew Parnell, Elvis Pasqual, and Matthias Ganster address LED ribbon, point sources like the Astera Titan Tube, "ersatz practicals," and the color-consistency and control challenges that remain.
Read the full article in the August issue.
- American Cinematographer
British Cinematographer — Succession
Featured in an article on Succession, including discussion of the Italian unit and its lighting approach.
“For the scenes shot in Italy, we worked with the excellent gaffer Elvis Pasqual. He lent us some large LED lights he had that Storaro helped create, called Melpomene from The Muses of Light. As they were bright, powerful, but required little power, they were perfect for sunlight effects coming through windows, and to light the courtyard at night during the bachelorette party scenes.”
- Patrick Capone (Dp)
British Cinematographer — Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Christian Sprenger ASC, Stephen Murphy BSC ISC & Cody Jacobs / Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Despite multiple DPs and directors filming episodes, a visual consistency was found, and Jacobs gives due credit to the team behind him, Sprenger and Murphy. “It was a huge pleasure to work with some truly exceptional fellow gaffers all over the world. George Selden in New York, Elvis Pasqual in Italy and Vladimir Martínez in Mexico. Our lighting desk programmers in New York and Italy, Mike Arisohn and Abdellatif Ouarrak respectively, were also a huge asset in the look of the series. And our rigging gaffers in New York and Italy, Casey Ford and Andrea Rostellato, were incredible, not to mention our stellar New York-based key grip Brendan Lowry and his entire team.”
- Cody Jacobs (Dp)
No Film School — Immaculate
Cinematographer Elisha Christian discusses the lighting and rigging challenges of filming in Rome and the solutions developed with gaffer Elvis Pasqual and key grip Tommaso Mele.
We shot on location in and around Rome, and most of the locations would not allow any rigging inside. Key grip Tommaso Mele and gaffer Elvis Pasqual were used to this, and came up with ingenious solutions in these locations.
- Elisha Christian (Dp)
International Cinema Lighting Society
Panel participant in “2nd Unit: Prep and Execution”, discussing second-unit preparation, lighting workflows and international production practices.
American Cinematographer — Extended Q&A
Lighting Technology in Transition
An extended version of my original responses prepared for American Cinematographer, covering LED lighting, colour quality, CRMX and wireless control, high-output fixtures, practical applications on large international productions, and the continuing relationship between LED and traditional sources.
Behind the Video — The Gaffer’s Role: Lighting, Leadership and Large-Scale Film Production
In this interview, I talk about my professional journey in film lighting and about the day-to-day work of a Gaffer, with the aim of explaining what it really means to coordinate the electrical and lighting department on a film set.
One of the first subjects discussed is the difference between electrical work itself and working with light. Power distribution and electrical safety are essential, but they represent only one part of the job. A significant part of the Gaffer’s work is about shaping, controlling, diffusing and modifying light according to the requirements of the cinematography, using fixtures, flags, diffusion materials, LED technology and increasingly sophisticated control systems.
The interview also explores the importance of preparation and location scouting. Every production requires a different approach depending on the budget, the location, the size of the crew, the available time and the working method of the Director of Photography. On larger productions, much of the work is prepared weeks before principal photography begins: power distribution, fixture positioning, cranes, structures, equipment and crew organization. The better the preparation, the more smoothly the work can proceed once shooting starts.
A significant part of the conversation is dedicated to large international productions. I discuss, for example, my experience on Mission: Impossible, where the electrical crew reached around 48 people, with part of the team working on set and another part preparing upcoming locations. On productions of this scale, hierarchy and clearly defined responsibilities become essential. The Rigging Gaffer, Best Boy, Floor Best Boy and the different groups of electricians must be coordinated so that each team can work efficiently and with a certain degree of independence, while maintaining clear communication throughout the department.
I also talk about my experience on 6 Underground, where the preparation of a very large set required several weeks of planning and a crew that increased progressively according to the amount of work involved. Experiences like these taught me that technical preparation, logistics and the ability to anticipate problems are just as important as knowing how to use lighting equipment.
The interview retraces my professional path as well, from my early work in concerts and live-event services to my move into the film industry, initially as a labourer and later as an electrician. I talk about how important it was to meet experienced people who taught me not only where to place a light, but above all why one light should be used instead of another. That is where my interest in cinematographic lighting and in the relationship between technique, image and storytelling really developed.
Another important part of the conversation concerns my international experience. Over the years, I looked for opportunities to work abroad, first in Ireland to improve my English and later in the United Kingdom. Working on British productions gave me the chance to experience different methods, technologies and production scales, including more advanced lighting consoles, automated fixtures, larger rigging systems, cranes and complex overhead lighting structures. I have always considered those experiences a form of continuous professional development, something that can then be brought back and applied on other productions.
From a technical point of view, the interview also looks at how a scene is approached from a lighting perspective. When working in interiors, one of the first considerations is often how much of the lighting can be created from outside the location. From there, the main source or dominant direction of light is established, while additional fixtures are used inside to balance darker areas or shape the subjects more precisely. Every decision depends on the genre of the film, the location, the practical sources visible in the scene and the visual direction established by the Director of Photography.
A particularly interesting subject is the use of practical lights and custom-built lighting solutions. I describe, for example, period lamps that were modified with LED sources whose colour and flicker could be controlled, as well as a flashlight that was specifically developed for a scene in order to achieve the required intensity and colour temperature on camera. In situations like these, the work of the electrical department goes beyond using standard equipment and moves into the development of purpose-built solutions for a specific shot or sequence.
Another central theme of the interview is crew management. My approach is to give clear instructions about the result that needs to be achieved without necessarily imposing the exact method. I believe it is important to leave room for the experience and technical abilities of the electricians, to listen when someone proposes a better solution and to create a team in which people can take responsibility and solve problems independently. At the same time, I believe it is essential to provide the crew with the best tools available and to encourage continuous technical learning.
Delegation is an essential part of this working method. In a large crew, it is impossible for a Gaffer to personally control every detail, so it is necessary to rely on experienced collaborators who are able to make decisions that remain consistent with the working style of the department. The aim is for the crew to maintain the same standards even when the head of department is not physically present: clear communication, calm behaviour, clean execution and the ability to solve problems without creating unnecessary tension on set.
We also discuss the management of unexpected problems, which are inevitably part of film production. Technical failures, logistical mistakes and last-minute changes can happen at any time. In those situations, I believe it is important to remain calm, to have an alternative plan whenever possible, and to resolve the issue as quickly as possible so that it does not become a wider problem for the production.
Towards the end of the interview, the conversation moves from the technical side of the job to the creative side. One of the ideas I consider most important is that cinematography should not simply aim to be beautiful for its own sake, but should serve the story. Lighting, camera movement, lenses and all the other visual choices should contribute to the emotion that a scene is intended to communicate. In some cases, an image that is too clean or too perfect can be less effective than a simpler visual approach that is more faithful to the tone of the story.
Overall, the interview covers many aspects of the Gaffer’s work: technical knowledge, preparation, organization, innovation, crew management and collaboration with the Director of Photography. Above all, it presents the profession as one that is constantly evolving, where technical expertise must be combined with teamwork, adaptability and the ability to find practical solutions in service of the story and the production.
Lighting Technology in Transition
An Extended Q&A for American Cinematographer
In 2026, American Cinematographer invited me to contribute to a feature on the evolution of LED lighting in film production.
The conversation focused on how LED technology has changed the day-to-day work of the lighting department, from fixture design and power consumption to colour quality, wireless control and large-scale exterior lighting.
Below is an extended version of the original responses I provided during the preparation of the article. The published feature was edited for the magazine, while this page preserves more of the technical detail behind my answers.
How has LED technology changed the way you work on set?
LED fixtures have now been part of the standard toolkit on film sets for several years, with all the advantages and limitations that come with them.
In practical terms, they have largely replaced fluorescent tubes, while also making it possible to light certain situations in a much more efficient and flexible way, especially thanks to the arrival of smaller and lighter units.
In my view, Astera Titan tubes were a real turning point. They changed the way we work and made tablet-based control part of everyday practice. That shift also helped expand the use of CRMX, and once reliable transmitters and receivers became widely available, it became much more common to have a desk operator even outside studio work.
Because most modern LED fixtures can produce both warm and cool light, and blend the two with precision, they have almost eliminated the need for correction gels. On top of that, many fixtures now include RGB capability alongside the traditional 3200K and 5600K settings, which makes the use of colour in narrative lighting much faster and more accessible.
This has had a major impact on set-up times. You can move from a daylight look to a dusk look in seconds, with very accurate colour-temperature control. Compared with productions from 15 years ago, that kind of speed can save a considerable amount of time over the course of a shoot.
In recent years, LEDs have become viable in almost every lighting situation. In some cases, for example, we have used Nanlux 5000B units in place of 9K HMIs with very strong results.
One of the early weaknesses of LED fixtures was their fragility outdoors, especially in rain, snow or damp conditions. But since the arrival of fixtures like Creamsource’s Vortex8, I think it has become difficult to justify designing serious new LED units that are not weatherproof.
About three years ago, I worked on an international production shot at night in February at 3,000 metres in the Italian Alps, Heart of Stone. We lit around 2.2 kilometres of ski slope using Vortex8 units mounted on 6-metre vertical truss towers. Those fixtures were exposed to snow, freezing wind and temperatures down to -19°C for around six weeks, and all of them worked flawlessly throughout. Control was handled via roughly 2.5 kilometres of fibre-optic cable.
LEDs are also unquestionably safer than many traditional sources when working in water or close to it.
Weight is another major advantage. Fixtures such as Rod Light are excellent in that respect: light, solid and fast to rig. In the past, creating the same kind of soft or shaped source now available from products such as LiteMat panels or cylindrical LED fixtures required more space, more time, heavier rigging and far more electrical power.
Low power consumption is another huge benefit. It is now increasingly common to run fixtures from lithium batteries in situations where getting mains power to the unit would be difficult or impractical. Lower power draw also means lower heat output, which is another significant advantage on set.
That said, there are still areas where the LED and CRMX ecosystem could improve.
From a technical point of view, one thing I would really like to see is fixtures with built-in CRMX signal repeating. That would make remote control by tablet or console much simpler, especially on large exterior sets.
Here in Italy, LumenRadio’s Stardust is very popular. It is a four-universe CRMX control system and works very well on small and medium-sized jobs. On smaller productions, I also find RatPac’s AKS paired with the Blackout app on a tablet very effective.
On very large exterior sets, however, these systems still have limits. Managing many LED fixtures over Wi-Fi with CRMX across a wide location can become quite complicated, especially when several control points are needed to ensure full coverage.
So overall, while LED initially replaced fluorescent tubes, it has become much more than that. It is a technology that allows us to work faster, with greater flexibility, and to solve lighting problems in ways that were much harder in the past.
What kind of LED fixture would you still like to see developed?
Yes, I would definitely like to see more powerful LED Fresnels than the ones currently available. I am very fond of the Fiilex Q8 and Q10, but their output is still a little limited. I expect that, as the technology continues to evolve, we will soon see more capable fixtures in that category.
At the same time, cinematography itself has changed, and Fresnels are now used less often than they once were, with many productions favouring softer sources such as SkyPanels or fixtures like the Vortex8. As always, though, it depends very much on the project and on the DP’s visual taste.
I have been doing this long enough to have grey hair, and I still have a real affection for multi-lamp PAR64 units — in Italy we call them Jumbo and Tornado — as well as Wendy Lights, whose incandescent globes are now almost disappearing from the market.
De Sisti, working with Vittorio Storaro, introduced the Muse of Light series, which I think is a strong alternative, and I would be very happy to see that concept developed further in waterproof versions.
How important is colour quality with LED fixtures?
Yes, colour quality is extremely important for us, and that absolutely includes LEDs.
I use a colour meter regularly and I always keep one on my belt. Many professional fixtures now offer very good colour rendering, but some still produce unwanted shifts at lower dimmer levels, and those need to be managed carefully.
With RGBW fixtures, it is sometimes possible to correct or improve the result from the console. In other cases, we still go back to the old reliable tools — gels, and often a touch of 1/8 plus or minus green to control a cast.
Do LED Fresnels produce the same quality of light as tungsten Fresnels?
I can also confirm that LED Fresnels tend to produce a slightly softer light than traditional tungsten Fresnels.
The emitting surface of an LED engine is physically much larger than a tungsten filament, so I think this is fundamentally a matter of optics and source geometry.
That is why I still say that LED is an excellent technology, but that from a purely technical point of view it has only truly replaced fluorescent tubes so far.
That said, the pace of development is extremely fast. At every industry trade show, there seem to be new manufacturers bringing genuinely interesting tools to market.
How are you combining LED and traditional sources on current productions?
On the current project I am working on — as 2nd Unit Gaffer on The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection: Chapter II by Mel Gibson — we are using almost entirely LED lighting.
The fixtures we have relied on most are Vortex8 units, Titan tubes and Evoke 5000B units with Fresnel lenses, alongside the powerful 18K Arrimax units and Tornado lights.
This mix reflects the way I see the current transition in film lighting: LED has become the main tool in many situations, but traditional high-output sources still have an important role when their power, beam quality or optical characteristics are the right choice for the scene.
Read the published American Cinematographer feature
This extended Q&A is based on the original responses I provided during the preparation of the American Cinematographer feature “Into the Light — Lights to Diode For.”
The published article brings together different perspectives on the evolution of LED lighting in professional film production.
Read the article on American Cinematographer
Original responses by Elvis Pasqual. Edited and expanded for this website from material originally provided to American Cinematographer.