How do I attach gels?

HBlack

HBlack

Underage Member
So in my shoot last weekend, I used 3 1ks and 3 750 watt lights. For the 1ks, I clothespinned the gel directly to the base of the barndoors, and the 750 watt fresnels had a metal sleeve for putting gels in.

I successfully burned a hole in every gel I had. (Well technically they belonged to the school...)

How can I avoid this in the future? I was thinking of clipping them to the tips of the barn doors, but that would limit how I could use them. I should have realized what was going to happen previously, the gel was touching the mesh protecting the light which got extremely hot. How can I mount the gel so it's not touching the light directly, so it won't melt?
 
>I was thinking of clipping them to the tips of the barn doors,

Yes, that is what you would do.

>but that would limit how I could use them.

Why?
 
you can try clipping them with pegs closer to the base of the barndoors so you can still use the doors to control spill.
 
Also, make sure your gels are arcing out away from the light. Get as much air between the gel and the lamp as possible. That'll help keep your gels from melting on you.
 
Ah, apparently most gels are considerably bigger than the ones I've been using, so clipping to the ends of the barn doors should work. Thanks.
 
Avoid the burn

Avoid the burn

You can also make sure you light is not "spotted" is there is that adjustment. Focusing the light makes it like a magnifying glass...
Spread it out as far as it will go.
 
HBlack said:
So in my shoot last weekend, I used 3 1ks and 3 750 watt lights. For the 1ks, I clothespinned the gel directly to the base of the barndoors, and the 750 watt fresnels had a metal sleeve for putting gels in.
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How can I mount the gel so it's not touching the light directly, so it won't melt?
Click to expand...

Hi HBlack,

In addition to the good advise by others, try searching here or googling "lighting gel holder" for various solutions.

Regards, Michael
 
If you are a film student, I am assuming you have access to equipment. Take out a grip kit. Basically a CStand, GOBO arms, and Gel holders.

Attach the GOBO arm to the CStand, and attach a gel holder to the Gobo arm, and clip the gel to the Gel Holder, position this away from the light. and Tada, gelled lights.

And yeah, take the light off of spot, that will make a difference.
 
Not a film student, just a high school with a decent video department. So no such luck on the grip equipment.
 
Alright,

That's cool.

So, get innovative. Get something that you can clip the gel onto in front of the light. Anything from a bed frame to a ladder. (Yes, I've used a bed frame, we were shooting in a small dorm and had to boost a bed frame up on its side to clear room/allow us a spot to clip on gels since we couldn't get a Cstand in there.)

And buy clothes pins, they really help with clipping stuff on.

All the best,

Matt
 
Clipping the gels to the outer end of the barndoors is good enough. I recently had four 1K fresnels gelled with 1/2 CTB running for several hours a day, 10 days in a row. All of the gels looked like new when I took them off.
And yes, the same gels (Lee 1/2CTB) become white and melt in only a few minutes when you clip them directly in front of the mesh of an 800W open face (been there, done that...)
 
What size would fit best on barndoors? I find a lot 12" x 12" sets, but wonder if they wouldn't be too small? Seems to me you have to completely close the barndoors than, wich makes the lightray pretty small, or am I wrong here?
 
18x18 or 24x24 seems to be the most used on set. 12x12 is a little small.

You can use theh light on full spot with the gels clipped onto the ends of the barn doors. As long as they are real Roscoe, Lee, GAM, etc.

I've almost never seen any gell holder used. Only on a couple of low-low budget shoots with hokey light kits pieced together.

They've always been clipped to the barn doors or snot-taped to a gel frame.

hokey: http://www.lowel.com/gels.html
better: http://www.filmtools.com/21x24flgelfr.html
best: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2004-09-oldenburg-clothespin.html
 
buy gelholders??? jesus, just go to your local dollar store and pick up clothes pins.. does the same thing. but better. and cheaper.
 
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