multi-color gel cuts

[NolaTek]

Hey all,


I have a director who is persistently asking me to create some par cuts of gel made up of four or five different colors of gel. He swears this creates a look that he wants and I'll go with his idea, but I wanted to pick your brains on if this idea held any validity in practice. Anybody try this before? Is this guy just nuts? Bear in mind that these fixtures will be facing actors (not audience) so its not eye-candy by any means. Thanks in advance.

 

[shiben]

Hey all,


I have a director who is persistently asking me to create some par cuts of gel made up of four or five different colors of gel. He swears this creates a look that he wants and I'll go with his idea, but I wanted to pick your brains on if this idea held any validity in practice. Anybody try this before? Is this guy just nuts? Bear in mind that these fixtures will be facing actors (not audience) so its not eye-candy by any means. Thanks in advance.

It does have some effect, and can be used effectively. 5 colors in there though? You might as well pick another color, it jsut seems like a lot. We generally limit it to 4 colors, 2 pairs of similar colors. What is bothering me about this situation is that the directior is kind of making you less of a designer and more of a "facilitator" for their design ideas. In my experience, it would be the LD who decided that a split gel would be needed, and make the call to use one. Why does the director feel that its needed?

 

[sk8rsdad]

I have had good success with split gels in ERS instruments, usually in conjunction with a gobo but have no experience with it in a PAR. I would expect there would be too much blending with a PAR to get any useful gradient but it may depend on how the PARs are lensed (VNSP <---> XWFL).

The best advice is to try it and see what happens. You might find this article from the GAM site on split gels useful.

 

[SteveB]

I've done 4 - 1/4 cuts of different colors. Looks like a mess of color blending. Works best on Gobo units on a cyc.

 

[Kelite]

Agreed. The use of two colors is effective in varying degrees- especially with an ERS, in my opinion. The use of four or five within the PAR fixture may be a bit muddier than a true blend of color, but the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

As Shiben stated rather well, the designer generally designs while taking into account the desires of the various directors, etc. One hand washes the other in many instances within the theater, and while it's proper to consider others' wishes- you remain the designer of the production.

Please let us know how this works out for you, as it isn't often we (or 'I' in this case) hear of mixing so many colors in a PAR.


All my best,

 

[NolaTek]

Thanks for all the input guys. This project is in the early rehearsal stages currently and I'm trying to get a handle on the director's wants. I've determined that this was a favorite tool of another designer this director has used in the past. This is the first time he has used me as a designer, so naturally he is a bit gun shy with someone new. I'm guessing he is trying to recreate something based on what he saw in the grid on a previous show.

At any rate, this is all awesome advice. The show isnt until Jan 15th so I've got lots of time to play around with the idea and perhaps find a decent combination of gel colors that will create something besides a gray blob onstage. I'll try and post more about the topic.

 

[Kelite]

I've determined that this was a favorite tool of another designer this director has used in the past. This is the first time he has used me as a designer, so naturally he is a bit gun shy with someone new. I'm guessing he is trying to recreate something based on what he saw in the grid on a previous show.

I may have missed this from the original posting NolaTek, but is the show you are designing similar to a specific show the past LD had designed? The comfort zone of the director would certainly makes sense if he 'sees in his mind's eye' a specific mood enhanced with this lighting technique. If these shows are very different- then it would be great to allow you a little more room to run and show your creativity. We know you have ideas too and would like to see you tap into these!

Please do take a few pictures on the 15th and let us know how both the show and the design situation works out for you-

 

[ship]

Re: multi-color gel

Can learn a lot from a designer - good and bad. If that's what the designer wants, why not?

Certainly be something to learn from and is that designer's design. Support that designer instead of out think for other than safety reasons. I would hope others once you are a designer you realize the need for support of your even at times wacky concepts by the staff in support of you - this no matter how wacky the idea it might seem. You see what you know, the LD is trying to make art and you are in support of that effort. Unless TD and even at that point, unless unsafe should also support a design concept if it can be done realistically. Designer is there to make art not fight off conventionalism - or is this some form of Art = what the Church approves of type of thing dating back centuries?

Less about gonna look good in saving the show this designer has requested a detail of it for you to do, more about supporting even if seemingly stupid something that might just work, or if not was something learned from by you and the designer.

Yea, at times double gelling can do interesting things, beyond that you are fighting intensity verses the subtractive nature of gel. Perhaps the LD already compensated for that though or not. Did you concept with the LD while choosing what might seem odd design with him/her that choice? Unless in the room... you as support staff to the LD cannot say what was thought in planed design in making art. Simpler ways in perhaps you seeing - this perhaps until you fight amber shift in dimming for the color you really want. Perhaps this designer has studied all possibilities in finding the color he/she needed for making art and this is right for the picture.

I would totally support what the designer wants and learn from it in working or not - but that's the designed concept for doing so. Advice, your job is to support the designer in that the best leaders are the best of followers. Learn from what was done, but support the heck out of the choice until you see it done and learn from it. That and further understand why it was done in working or not = something tried and learned from but not persay not to try in a differeent way once you fully understand the concept and rational behind doing so in your case.

Lots of crappy designers out there - and not a place to voice opinion of the designer given in initial post of questioning a concept the designer chose - you didn't reference it. Also, lots to be fair and more so, lots of designers out there doing curious stuff that others in doing so learn from.

In the end, that's the LD. Your job is to support not second guess this person. Want to have to support your own design by way of person cutting the gel when it's your time to design? Trust and learn no matter what you might think for now and learn from it. You work in production for the LD in convaying not correcting his/her concepts and for the production itself in saving it from what ever the LD did. Be proud you worked on this production, another under the belt and what did you learn from it?

The best leader is the best follower. Charge up that hill and don't question, just learn from what that LD your boss has decided. Good/bad possible but something to learn from - time to close the text book way and learn in the live. Keep an open mind- many times I thought a designer insane... at times they did make art.