| Color Gel |
Article Index for Color |
Website Links For Color |
Information AboutColor Gel |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT COLOR GEL | |
| optical filters | |
| stage lighting | |
| cinematography | |
|
Gels have a limited life, especially in Saturated colors. The color will fade or even melt, depending upon the energy absorption of the color, and the sheet will have to be replaced. In permanent installations and some theatrical uses, colored glass filters or Dichroic Filter s are being used. The main drawback is additional expense and a more limited selection. HISTORY In early days colored water or Silk was used to color light in the theatre. Later, Gelatin became the material of choice. This material fell out of favour, since it could not stand the higher temperatures produced by ''tungsten halogen lamps'' invented in the 1960s . The name ''gel'' however has continued to be used to the present day. Gels are typically available in single 20" x 24" sheets, or full rolls (24" or 48" wide and up to 50' (15m) long), which are then cut down to the appropriate size before use. The size originates from the gelatin days - it is the same as a standard baker's sheet, which was used to cast the sheets. COLORS Similar colors may vary between different companies' formulations - for example, many have a color named "bastard amber", but the transmitted color spectrum may be different. For this reason, gel colors are not referred to by name, but instead by a code consisting of a letter and number combination. For example, G841 is a dark blue made by Great American Market (GAM), and R02 is a light amber made by Rosco . Manufacturers produce ''swatch books'', which contain a small piece of each color available, adjacent to its color code, to simplify ordering. Swatch books enable designers and technicians to have a true representation of the manufacturers' range of color. Most ranges of gels also include non-colored media, such as a variety of diffusion and directional "silk" materials to produce special lighting effects. EXTERNAL LINKS Manufacturers of gel include: |
|
|