GEL Combos Suggestion for OZ

[mrcancun5]

I first want to thank everyone for their help and suggestions as I really do know next to nothing about lighting. We are doing the MUNY version of the Wizard of Oz at our high school and do not have enough money for a lighting designer. So, I have to step up and figure it out. We are a brand new performing arts school and do have plenty of equipment to pull it off technically. I just do not know what gels or colors I should be using to create the proper mood for the scene. We are going with a modern Dorothy (blue jeans and flannel) and Kansas, and our jumping point for OZ and costuming is more Medieval/Renaissance in style with our witch being more of a sorceress/"Malificent-like".

I guess the question is, what color gels would you use for each setting? I am thinking of using front projection for the cyclone and having the wizard located in the fourth wall for the wizard scenes. We typically purchase Apollo gels. Anyway here are the scenes that I would love some help with color combinations:

Kansas
Munchkinland
Forest
Jitterbug

Emerald City
Witches Castle


Thank you all so much for your time and help. I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Actor who should have paid attention in tech classes in college but thought he would never use it but now is regretting it because he is directing a high school musical and doesn't have a clue about lighting

 

[agcraig]

I just did a production of "The Wiz" and I used Gam 666(wicked green) and It mixed really well for Emerald City. Kansas I used Lee 103 for a straw color. Mix that with a nice breakup and it would make a nice texture with the color. For the Forrest (depending how dark you want) you can use either Rosco 90 or 91 with a leaf breakup. Witches castle you could use a no color with a cobblestone breakup from rosco. Also, you can't go wrong with Rosco 02 & 132 for warm front light, and Lee 720 for cool front light.
Hope this helps a bit.

 

[icewolf08]

The thing is, there is no wrong answer to this question (unless you manage to make it so you can't see the actors). By virtue of that, there is also no right answer. Granted, you shouldn't light everyone is green because it makes people look sickly and bad, but that doesn't mean that you can't tone a show with green.

Think about the mood of the scenes and how they make you feel. Then head off to the internets or library and look through books of photographs and see which ones evoke the same feelings. Look at the light in the images and think about re-creating that kind of feel on stage. Also remember that this is fantasy, so you can go a little more overboard with color selection and get away with it. YOu may also want to read up on the McCandless method of stage lighting, it is pretty basic, but that makes it easy to modify to fit your needs.

The other thing is that unless you have tons of gear or time to change color for each scene (or you have color changing fixtures) then you will have to pick a palette that works for the whole show. You will need to pick colors that can blend or be used on their own. And you have to consider lighting texture, and use of gobos as that will help enhance the looks for different scenes.

I am sure that you probably find this answer slightly less than helpful, but we can't really design the show for you. Colors that work for me, may not work for you. The biggest thing is to have fun and experiment and learn from what you do. If you are a performing arts school. You must have students who are interested in helping too, use them and their ideas.

 

[derekleffew]

... Granted, you shouldn't light everyone is green because it makes people look sickly and bad, but that doesn't mean that you can't tone a show with green. ...

A little tip I picked up from seeing Wicked: Use green in the followspot for Elphaba, but not for anyone else.




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[JohnD]

This could be old stagecraft lore, but I always heard that the reason for a green handle on the color controls of a followspot, was that you always used green for the villian in "mellerdramas".

 

[derekleffew]

This could be old stagecraft lore, but I always heard that the reason for a green handle on the color controls of a followspot, was that you always used green for the villian in "mellerdramas".

I say myth busted. I've never seen a Genarco or Brenkert fixture with colored handles on the boomerang. That didn't start until bakelite and Altman / Capitol Stage Lighting Co. in the 1950s, long after the wane of "mellerdramas".
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[kiwitechgirl]

If you're doing Kansas in the full black-and-white, chocolate gel (Lee/CJ 156) makes it look sepia-toned like the film. I did a production of WoOz years ago and our LD used this - worked beautifully.

 

[mrcancun5]

Thank you guys so much for the help. I do have enough instruments to be able to color each scene with different gels. We are not taking a traditional approach to the musical and will not be going for the depia-toned look, but I appreciate the suggestions. Or witch will also not be green, but will be more Malicifent-like-sorceress with the high collar and a staff. I was just curious if there were certain gel combos that someone has used in the past or suggest that would really make a huge difference since I know lighting makes or breaks a show. Thank you all so much for your feedback and time. I really appreciate it.