The new thread on labeling gel

[gafftapegreenia]

I feel this has been discussed in the past, but perhaps never in its own thread.

Where does everyone like to label their gel? There seems to be heated debate between hidden in the corner and visible somewhere in the opening.

My personal opinion, is while "R99" need not be written across the entire sheet, I have found it useful to have the label visible in some point of the frame opening. What brought me to this conclusion is last week I dropped gel for a show, and the guy who cut and labeled it all labeled in the lower corner and then placed the gel in the frames. I then had to waste time unframing gel during hang to figure out what was R09 and what was R08.

 

[Ryohei]

Yea, I too find it easier to just label it in the frame opening so that i can just take a glance at it to see what gel i have it in. Instead of having to go up and looking at it.

 

[Sony]

Coming from someone who works with students every day....I don't care where it's labeled as long as it's labeled!!! So many wasted hours sorting gel

 

[erosing]

Coming from someone who works with students every day....I don't care where it's labeled as long as it's labeled!!! So many wasted hours sorting gel

Same here, as long as it's labeled (and legibly) with manufacturers first letter followed by number, you can put it anywhere. But it better have a letter and number because "G" isn't a gel, and 27 doesn't tell me if it's Lee or Rosco.

When I label gel, I put it in the visible portion somewhere.

 

[sstolnack]

Yeah I'm fine with people labeling it wherever, but as Arez said, it needs a letter and number. And for some reason people at my high school label it starting with "x", so it's x02 or x101, which seems pointless to me. I think it's just to make sure you're not reading it backwards or something, but I would like to know if its lee or rosco...

 

[derekleffew]

...because "G" isn't a gel, ...

"G" is/was the standard accepted prefix for Gelatran.

...And for some reason people at my high school label it starting with "x", so it's x02 or x101, which seems pointless to me. I think it's just to make sure you're not reading it backwards or something, but I would like to know if its lee or rosco...

Back in the day when Roscolene and Roscolux were used conconcurrently, "X" was preferred as the prefix for Roscolux, as even though all Roscolene began with 8xx, R could stand for either.

gafftapegreenia, the last time this subject arose, the concensus was that if the fixtures were visible to the audience, label it in the corner, otherwise, in the center of the cut is fine. If using a Sharpie rather than a china marker, always in the corner, never in the center.

 

[Sony]

I've seen other professionals label Gel's as x as well, I do believe it refers to a certain manufacturer, I think it's Lee because the L can look like a 1 from the floor. I've only seen that used in one place I used to work. I don't think it's very common.

 

[erosing]

"G" is/was the standard accepted prefix for Gelatran.

I actually meant that "G" alone, is not a helpful way to label gel, as in without a number associated with it (with a number I would see it to mean a Gam gel). Unless, you're telling me that Gelatran had no numbers?

I've seen other professionals label Gel's as x as well, I do believe it refers to a certain manufacturer, I think it's Lee because the L can look like a 1 from the floor. I've only seen that used in one place I used to work. I don't think it's very common.

I've seen it a couple times once as Lee, for your reasoning, the others as Rosco because the labelers grew up doing as DerekLeffew noted.

 

[ship]

Pay or trust people to get the right gel into a frame in following a plot. Shouldn't be an issue.

Easier to find pre-cut gel color if that gel in a gel file / storage is marked in the top half. This assuming a gel file that's sized for the frame size. If a drawer full of gel of that color, mark in the middle, it won't matter in light output. All depends on your storage system for finding it in them installing it wrong screwed up and shouldn't play a factor in how you mark it.

If quick gel frame changes or something, mark the gel frame itself in closing it with what color it is. Sealed and done and no guessing. Fiberglass electrical tape won't burn into your gel frame when it gets hot and similar color to masking tape, is easy to mark. Pre-gel your gel frames and mark in sealing them up. Idiot proofing the system perhaps the way to go. Otherwise if not taping them, at least grease penciling the gel frame for the color could work if cleaned off afterwards.

 

[ship]

Same here, as long as it's labeled (and legibly) with manufacturers first letter followed by number, you can put it anywhere. But it better have a letter and number because "G" isn't a gel, and 27 doesn't tell me if it's Lee or Rosco.

When I label gel, I put it in the visible portion somewhere.

Ah but that should be easy to figure out by way of thickness and textrue. Try sorting gel as a color blind sorter... I'm accurate but it's even more difficult.

 

[ship]

"G" is/was the standard accepted prefix for Gelatran.

Back in the day when Roscolene and Roscolux were used conconcurrently, "X" was preferred as the prefix for Roscolux, as even though all Roscolene began with 8xx, R could stand for either.

gafftapegreenia, the last time this subject arose, the concensus was that if the fixtures were visible to the audience, label it in the corner, otherwise, in the center of the cut is fine. If using a Sharpie rather than a china marker, always in the corner, never in the center.

Agree with the X but I did Rx, Gelatran on the other hand.. Don't think I have ever seen it before unless it was the pokadot gel I saw once in a gel file. I would give the G to the Gam and give Geltran a prominat place to hang.

On the center... gives tech people something to do during a boring show. On the other hand, as per the above, easier to read in a gel file if above in I think better concept.

Also, side note on the fiberglass electrical tape, sticks gobos to gobo holders really well in clean removable and easy enough to mark. Stuff to get and possibly cheaper than Tac Tape in doing the same where not needed to be black.

 

[WooferHound]

I prefer to mark gel where it can be seen in the frame but out to the side near the frame, not in the center.

 

[ptero]

It's probably obvious, but maybe some younguns should know. The color of the china marker/grease pencil does matter. Early on, I was the idiot who used black grease pencil - somebody led me astray on that. I quickly learned white is the way to go. The black collects the heat and causes fading and burnouts.

Otherwise, I agree with marking so the number can be read in the frame. But not HUGE, ok?

On the "G" tangent - I use G for GamColor nowadays.

Ship - in a rep situation we used to use Avery 'dot' labels with the color noted on the dot with plain old pen, and stuck on a corner of the frame. They would survive the heat for a rep season. With three shows up, there could be 3 gels by each unit on the cats. Each show was a different dot color. So recolor could be done by dot color as long as things remained stacked by "their" instrument.

 

[ptero]

and B for Brigham!

 

[erosing]

Ah but that should be easy to figure out by way of thickness and textrue. Try sorting gel as a color blind sorter... I'm accurate but it's even more difficult.

I can pick out Apollo and Gam from each other and from either Rosco or Lee, but if you throw in both Rosco and Lee to an assortment I can only guess, haven't worked with the two together enough to pick out their textures from each other.

 

[venuetech]

Rx for roscolux (think prescription)
must see the number in the frame

does anyone use brads to hold the color in the frame?
I would years ago, but now only for certain issues.

 

[Sayen]

Coming from someone who works with students every day....I don't care where it's labeled as long as it's labeled!!! So many wasted hours sorting gel

If it makes you feel any better, I had a student intern once who wrote things like "Light Blue" and "Dark Blue" on gels when cutting.

 

[Dsotm75]

I've used brads to hold gel into its frame for colors that need to change during changeovers during summerstock shows...

As for labeling gel, I never know if a gel is going to be placed in a fixture somewhere where an audience member can see it, so I habitually label gel in the corner of the gel.

I use 'Rx' for Rosco, 'L' for Lee, and 'G' for GAM. I've never worked with the Apollo line of gels, but if I did, I would probably use the prefix 'Ap' for gel labeling

 

[icewolf08]

Seeing as we generally don't frame color until it is about to get dropped, and I hate seeing gel numbers when I am watching a show, I insist on labeling in a corner or at least along the edge of the cut. There is never a time that we are looking for burned/faded color, or doing anything with color for that matter where I don't have paperwork in hand. It is easy enough to look at the paperwork during channel check, hang, or focus to determine what color the light you are looking at is supposed to be. That being said, you also have to write pretty big for most people to be able to read the number from the deck anyway. I think neat and uniform writing on the edge/corner is much nicer than what usually ends up as big and sloppy through the middle.

As for numbering: A=Apollo, R=Rosco, G=Gam, L=Lee. I do still have some cuts of color and some designers who use "Rx" for Rosco, but anything new just gets "R."

 

[sstolnack]

Back in the day when Roscolene and Roscolux were used conconcurrently, "X" was preferred as the prefix for Roscolux, as even though all Roscolene began with 8xx, R could stand for either.

Interesting, I didn't know that, I see how it could be useful. Now, however, people label both Rosoclux and Lee (the only two type of gel we use) with "x", so it doesn't help anymore...