Frost, barn doors and color correction spring to my mind as reason why some one might need the gel frame.
The same thing it would do in any other light, soften the beam edges, blend everything together better. For example, if I had some LED PAR 64s as audience abuse lights, and I didn't want the audience to see each individual pixel, but only the circle of color out of the PAR64, I would put some R119 or R116 frost in it.
If I was doing a rock'n'roll type gig with, say 30 of them as backlight, I'd want to have half of them amber shifted with something like R02 or R13. I'd also have the other half with R00, or I'd put a light frost in both and not put the double zero in the second half. This would eliminate the annoying visibility of the various LED's in the cans.
There isn't amber because LED's are not full-spectrum sources. If the wavelength isn't there in the first place, gel will not "make it appear".
Why pay for all of the R00s and take the time to cut them, when if you want uniformity, just put gel frames w/ no gels?
It doesn't do anything. Think of it as a prop. Its there so that there appears to be a color gel in the frame. There is no optical purpose beyond the fact that every lighting fixture in the rig will visually look the same (ie, have a gel, even if it does nothing). Its more professional.So what's it for then?
It's professional to waste money?
So what's it for then?
There is another reason that people use R00 or other clear gel in their lights. That is, when you load in a show and you are using a crew that you may have never worked with before, or they are young or what have you, you can organize all of your color before hand and stack it in order and have someone put it in all the lights (usually SL to SR). But for the lights that are N/C or CLR if you don't put a frame, or even if you put a frame with nothing in it, the lackey you have working for you may think it is there in error and not put it in the light. Hence, putting R00 in a frame in the stack will make it look like it should be there.
The major manufacturers wouldn't be selling clear gel if there wasn't a use for it.
Scroller leader strips.
You just don't get it? For thirty cans, your using what, 5 sheets of gel? Thats not a big expense, even to most small theatres. But as it seems you just want to argue the point, do what you feel is best. In my experience, the client will gladly pay the extra $40 in gel to get a clean, professional, symmetrical set.
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