What do you mean by "freelance lighting"? Designer,
programmer, electrician...
Buying
gel and
gobo's - not sure why you would do this, these are consumables spec'ed in the design for the show and bought out of the show's budget...
Gamcheck ... go
drop $100 on a Fluke multimeter, something like a #111 or #112 and a good pair of leads. It will do alot more for you than a
gam check (including everything the
gamchek will do). Good luck plugging the
stagepin connector on the
gam check into the
outlet under your
desk when nothing will turn on.
A
voltage probe is a nice tool to have. Hold it up to a
line and it lights up if there's
current in the
line. They're cheap, Fluke makes one for probably $20, various other folks have them in the same range. I saw a Craftsman in the tool aisle at Sears for $10 yesterday.
Gerber, I assume this tool that everybody around here is talking about is this -
http://www.gerberblades.com/latest/nautilus.php. Personally I've never failed to apply a
utility knife to most cutting situations. Sure is a heck of a lot cheaper.
Mini mag is a nice toy to have around, one actually showed up in my stocking today. One of my side hobbies is scuba diving. I own a couple of flashlights designed for underwater use, night diving, general illumination,
etc. Thy've got
halogen lamps in them, very very bright. In general, I carry the little oen around. The problem with these is they blow batteries. If you've got a dive shop in your area (check the yellowpages), I'd recommend going and checking out what they've got in the small flashlights range (these things come in small, medium, and large). Get a couple sets of rechargeable batteries and a charger, you're going to be going through alot of them. I own the PCa model on this
page -
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/3pc_lite.html.
it's also nice to have something to put all your toys in - a toolbag. Everybody and their brother has something to add to this market, so shop around for quality. Having a bag, pouch, belt,
etc gives you a place to put all your tools, trinkets,
etc and keep
track of them. Plus, they're always in the same place. No more wondering which
catwalk you left your linesman's pliers on - you'll get into the habit of stuffing them into the same pocket everytime pretty quickly. I have a big bag/belt from Custom Leathercraft. It zips up, has umpteen pouches and pockets, and it has a shoulder strap, carrying handle, and a place to put a utility belt through. I probably spent $30 on it. All the tools I usually use are in it somewhere...always have what I need.
So, I think my major
point here is don't go blowing a lot of money on all the specialty toys. They're not worth it IMHO. A good multimeter will get you a lot further in the long run than a
gam check. I'd expect a Fluke to hold up much better too. Same with other "cool" trinkets - Dr
DMX, leatherman,
etc.
If you elaborate a
bit more on the job description you're describing, I and others here problably can be a
bit more specific on handy stuff to have around.