How to Control Harsh Overhead Lighting: The Sky Hook Method

One of the most common enemies of cinematic lighting is the dreaded drop ceiling filled with fluorescent tubes. Whether you are shooting in a convenience store, an office, or a hospital hallway, standard overhead fluorescents are often the wrong color temperature, flicker on camera, and cast a flat, unflattering wash over your scene.

So, how do you take control of a space that is already hardwired for ugly light? You rip it out and start over.

In this exclusive excerpt from our Music Video Lighting lesson, Shane Hurlbut, ASC breaks down his go-to technique for dominating drop ceilings. By replacing practical bulbs with smart LEDs and utilizing a custom rigging solution called the “Sky Hook,” you can turn a mundane location into a controllable studio environment.

• From the Course: Music Video Lighting
• Part of the Series: Making a Music Video (Presented by Filmmakers Academy & Craterr)

Step 1: Rip Out the Fluorescents

 

“One of the things that I do on every set… when I come into a place that has fluorescent lights in the ceiling, the first thing I do is I’m ripping those fluorescents out,” says Shane Hurlbut.

Leaving the existing bulbs in play limits your options. You are stuck with their color temperature (often a sickly green-spiked cool white) and their intensity. By removing them, you clear the stage for lights that you control.

Step 2: The Magnetic Swap

Once the old tubes are gone, Shane replaces them with battery-powered LED tubes (like Astera Titans or Helios). The secret weapon here is magnets.

By mounting your LED tubes on magnets, installation becomes instant. You can snap them directly into the metal housing of the fluorescent fixture.

TOTAL CONTROL	“We can change color temperature. We can make them dance, and we can have them make super colors,” Shane explains.
SPEED	If you need to kill a light or adjust a ratio, you don’t need to climb a ladder and unscrew a hot bulb. You just grab the remote or the app and dim it down.

Step 3: The “Sky Hook” Rig

Sometimes, the existing fixture placement isn’t enough. You might need a light where there is no fixture, or you need to rig a heavier source without damaging the fragile drop ceiling grid.

Shane’s solution is the “Sky Hook.”

HOW TO BUILD IT
1.	Take a piece of 1×3 lumber cut to span across the drop ceiling tiles.
2.	Attach a baby nail-on plate (or similar mounting hardware) to the wood.
3.	Place the 1×3 above the drop ceiling grid, spanning across two structural beams.

“It supports it, no problem,” Shane notes.

This simple rig allows you to hang additional fixtures—like a group of Asteras or a small softbox—safely from a ceiling that wasn’t designed to hold weight.

Creating the “Surreal” Spotlight

In this specific music video setup, Shane used the Sky Hooks to create a “flashback” look inside a convenience store. The goal was to make the scene feel slightly surreal and detached from reality.

By using the Sky Hooks to position a top source directly over the talent, Shane was able to:

Increase Brightness in the Center	The subjects are lit about a stop brighter than their environment.
Let the Background Fall Off	The rest of the store dims into shadow.

“It’s almost like they have a subtle spotlight on them amongst the world that they live in,” Shane describes.

This technique separates the talent from the background, guiding the viewer’s eye and visually signaling that this moment is a memory, not current reality.

Learn the Full Workflow

Controlling overheads is just one tool in the cinematographer’s kit. In our new series Making a Music Video, presented by Filmmakers Academy and Craterr, we dive deep into every decision that shapes a professional production.

DIRECTING	Pitching, pre-visualization, and casting.
CAMERA PREP	Choosing the right camera and mapping your lenses for VFX.
CINEMATOGRAPHY	(Including this “Music Video Lighting” module) exploring lighting setups, color theory, and shooting strategies.
POST-PRODUCTION	Editing techniques to match the rhythm and energy of the track.

Ready to master location lighting? Join Filmmakers Academy today to access the full course and learn how to turn any location into a cinematic set.

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