Sky Blue cyc and other questions

[Adam Peterson]

I'd like the cyc to be lit bright blue, but can only seem to make it a dark blue. All the strip lights are currently equipped with RGB gels. Do I need to use a different gel?

Also, (for general lighting) I know that if I mix blue and yellow light it should theoretically make white - right? What specific yellow/blue gels do I need to use (as in the Rosco #)?

Thanks all!

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Well, if the drop is white or natural, and you only have three circuit tungsten cyc lights, its difficult to get a full range of blue, kind of the most popular color on sly drops. I always specified 4 color cyc lights so there could be both a light (or medium) blue gel and a dark blue gel, and a Rosenthal Blue drop (a light grey blue) which was easier to make a range of blues. So can you gel the strips and what color cycs do you need for the show?

I'm going to let others answer the Rosco color question, having been trained with Brigham and Cinemoid. (Is it really important to get true "white", when there may be nothing to give away its warm or cool or yellowish or whatever?)

 

[Stan Longhofer]

When I've wanted a clean, sky blue on a cyc, I've often changed out my primary blue for either R67 or R68. You can also try bringing up your primary blue and then adding in some green and a tiny bit of red to soften the color a bit. It's all just experimenting to find what you like.

As for colors to mix to get a "white" light, I think you are asking what colors you'd want for general washes. There are several past threads on this, including https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/popular-common-gel-colors.44133/.

 

[kicknargel]

Lots of threads about gel colors already; have a look at this one: Popular/Common Gel colors

For the cyc, if you're having trouble with punch and only need it to be blue, change all the gels to blue. And probably pick something less saturated. Experimentation is best. Even shining a flashlight through a gel swatchbook can be informative. RGB is good in theory but difficult in practice, especially with lower powered tungsten sources.

 

[Ted jones]

You could buy a sky blue cyc........

 

[JonCarter]

We used to paint our cycs with a mix of 10 gal white, 1 gal primary blue, 1 qt black, then light them with Cinabex (about the same as Cinemoid) 20, 19 or 32. But it took a lot of watts to get a good-looking dark blue sky even with all the spill light kept off of it.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Also, requiring more up and downstage space, a black scrim really helps get to dark night sky look. Unlit drops of any color rarely look good.

 

[Adam Peterson]

Well, if the drop is white or natural, and you only have three circuit tungsten cyc lights, its difficult to get a full range of blue, kind of the most popular color on sly drops. I always specified 4 color cyc lights so there could be both a light (or medium) blue gel and a dark blue gel, and a Rosenthal Blue drop (a light grey blue) which was easier to make a range of blues. So can you gel the strips and what color cycs do you need for the show?

I'm going to let others answer the Rosco color question, having been trained with Brigham and Cinemoid. (Is it really important to get true "white", when there may be nothing to give away its warm or cool or yellowish or whatever?)

Thanks for the guidance Bill!

 

[Adam Peterson]

When I've wanted a clean, sky blue on a cyc, I've often changed out my primary blue for either R67 or R68. You can also try bringing up your primary blue and then adding in some green and a tiny bit of red to soften the color a bit. It's all just experimenting to find what you like.

As for colors to mix to get a "white" light, I think you are asking what colors you'd want for general washes. There are several past threads on this, including https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/popular-common-gel-colors.44133/.

I think I'm going to opt for switching out the gels on the cyc lights - thanks Stan

 

[Adam Peterson]

Lots of threads about gel colors already; have a look at this one: Popular/Common Gel colors

For the cyc, if you're having trouble with punch and only need it to be blue, change all the gels to blue. And probably pick something less saturated. Experimentation is best. Even shining a flashlight through a gel swatchbook can be informative. RGB is good in theory but difficult in practice, especially with lower powered tungsten sources.

Yep - I've found it to be quite difficult in practice. Thanks!

 

[Adam Peterson]

You could buy a sky blue cyc........

I wish! Unfortunately, I don't have the funds at my tiny theater!

 

[Ted jones]

Have you priced one? We may be more seasonable than you think.

T