Nitpicky Lighting Question.

Pickthorne

Pickthorne

Active member
OK my background is in theatre and live events. Since I've made the transition to one-man-band video a few years back, and one thing is nagging me...

Why is it the norm to gel up a fixture by clipping your colour to the barn doors? I understand if the fixture is a tota of kino, and there is no gel frame holder. But if provided for on a fresnel-type fixture, why not use gel frames that fit into the ears of the instrument? I know there is a good reason, but instead of guessing, I'd rather get a proper answer. Searches turned up lots of "how-to", but no "why".

OK I will guess after all...
1) prevents gel burn?
2) cutting up gel into 6" squares means that stock is of no use in different style fixtures?
3) setting back colour from the lens affects the quality of the light somehow?


Thanks for your patience,
Craig
 
ya know, it's just one of those things that we do! there's really no benefit to using the frames, so why bother going through the extra effort to cut the squares? its also quicker to just clip on a new sheet than load in a new square.

that and the reasons you mentioned are all valid
 
Well, theater lighting is pretty fixed, and you don't physically change it around during a performance. It's a lot easier to have nice, neat gels and squares and so forth, especially considering they rarely, if ever, leave the building.

(Sure they do for travelling shows, but still -- it's set it up and leave it for the run.)

Film sets are dynamic and equipment is mobile -- and mobilized.
 
as mentioned, the biggest reason for me is time and convenience. sure, i could go dig around in my bag for the gel frame, screw it onto the light, dick around with the barndoors so the gel frame actually fits (oftentimes the frame isn't long enough to clear the barn doors), and then put the gel frame in... or i can just grab the gel and clip it to the barndoors.
not to mention that if you're clipping to the barndoors you know you're covering the whole beam of light, but a gel frame could have some spill.

i'd really only use a gel frame if there weren't any barndoors or if i had something else clipped to the barndoors (if, for instance, i put some diffusion on there and needed a gel as well)
 
Thank you all for your responses.

I am finding that the greatest learning curve isn't where I expected it to be...in lighting. Gear, sound, encoding, formats, camera movement, editing, and storytelling are all comparatively fresh learning curves. Whereas lighting carries with it pre-conceived notions from learning to light for the best sensor of all...the human eye.

best,
Craig
 
Tungsten fresnels get so hot that while they may not melt your gels (though cheap ones can), they can burn your hands if you need to make adjustments. Obviously gloves are required. But when I am on shoots I usually set up the lights myself and when the gels are clipped on the barn doors of a 650 for example, it is very possible to make adjustments to the gel with no gloves on. I don't recommend it necessarily, but it's something I definitely do, especially when you are first getting the lighting all set up so the lights are a bit cooler but not cool enough to risk putting your hands closer than the bardoors.

JM
 
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