# Favorite Gel Colors



## stantonsound (Nov 19, 2007)

I got a great deal on some gel today (another person placed a huge order and I jumped on their order for the good pricing) and bought 100+ sheets myself. I use quite a bit for different types of shows (theatrical, corporate, rock shows, etc...) as well as stocking it for others. I thought it would be easy to pick out 100 sheets, but it was more difficult than I thought.

I got to thinking, I know what gel colors are my favorite for the standard washes, but not what other people use.

What are your favorite gel colors for......

Standard warm wash
Standard cool wash
Amber
Diffusion
and other favorites (like moonlight scenes, rainy day scenes, indoor evening, candle lit, etc...)


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## Pie4Weebl (Nov 19, 2007)

What are your favorite gel colors for......
Standard warm wash->R02, R16
Standard cool front wash->R53, R60, R61, L201-203
Amber (see warm)
Diffusion R119+ R132

Favorite Rock and Roll back light or dance side colors: R39, R375, R93, R26

Once I can buy Apollo gel from a local distributor as easy as I can Rosco a few of those numbers might change.


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## Logos (Nov 19, 2007)

Are you interested in Lee Colours.

I love Primary Red 106 and primary Blue 119. I use a lot of 103 straw and 152 in washes. I always seem to find a way to put Congo Blue 181 into most of my rigs. Chocolate Brown 156 is also a personal favourite.


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## SerraAva (Nov 19, 2007)

Standard warm: R02, R08, R16, R33
Standard cool: R54, R60, R63, R65, R67
The colors listed above are for front wash. For overhead and back I use a little darker generally, but sometimes same as front.

Amber: R16, R20 

Diffusion: R101, also the cyc silks, not sure if your including them or not.

Other colors I use often include R12, R20, R26, R339, R72, R80 for Rock and Roll. For theatre, I use just about every color under the sun. Favorites for effects however are R57 and R83.


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## Footer (Nov 19, 2007)

L366 is by far my favorite color, period. I have never seen a color that can do so much as that one. L119 is also great. I have been in a R99 kick lately, don't know why. Also, there can never be enough L202 laying around as well as R119 or R132.


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## stantonsound (Nov 19, 2007)

Doesn't anyone else use Apollo?

My favorites are 8550, 4720, 6600, and 7250.

I also have found the chocolate brown (7600 if I remember correctly) to be GREAT for indoor "fire" scenes. It is great for darker scenes that are possibly torch or candle lit such as the tavern scene from "Beauty and The Beast"


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## Footer (Nov 20, 2007)

stantonsound said:


> Doesn't anyone else use Apollo?
> My favorites are 8550, 4720, 6600, and 7250.
> I also have found the chocolate brown (7600 if I remember correctly) to be GREAT for indoor "fire" scenes. It is great for darker scenes that are possibly torch or candle lit such as the tavern scene from "Beauty and The Beast"



The only apollo I have used is in the theatrical scroll in the smartmoves. Its not a wonderful string, but it does the job pretty well.


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## dj_illusions (Nov 20, 2007)

There are some fantastic colours in the Lee 7 Series...

Favorite Blue is 716 closely followed by 119.
I love using L126 which is a purple colour with a touch of pink to it
Have just started using L186 aswell which i describe as a 'blood red amber' someone left it in a lamp and i thought it was pretty cool....

L029 and L027 make an interesting substitute for a red wash if you want a change from 106. 

for our dance season I have used L793 as a pink wash which i much prefer over L111 or L113, also L332 makes a nice pink wash. 

i think every designer has a trademark colour they try to integrate into shows, ive lost count how many times i have got L126 into a show in some way!!

interesting thread though, always good to see what other people use!


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## derekleffew (Nov 20, 2007)

Footer4321 said:


> L366 is by far my favorite color, period. I have never seen a color that can do so much as that one. ...


Seriously, Footer, Cornflower? I've always used L161 or X64 as a "dusty blue." L366 does look like an interesting color, but I'm to old to use the L3xx or L7xx, or the fancy new Lux 4 digit colors.

*Hey Kelite, here's a challenge for you.* Please list the 10 most popular ApolloGel colors sold/manufactured. I heard a long time ago that Rosco sold more X27 than any other color, maybe because there aren't many reds to choose from? Of course the results could be skewed by someone buying 100 sheets of a particular color for a very specific application, but we'd still be interested in the results. Here's my guesses, in numeric order:

1 AP3200 Submissive Lavender
2 AP3800 Cowboys & Indigo
3 AP4200 Bright Blue
4 AP4900 Island Blue
5 AP5400 RnR Green
6 AP6500 Bikini Yellow
7 AP7050 Fatherless Amber
8 AP8320 Tasty Apple Red
9 AP8550 Bit of Pink
10 AP8800 Sassy Pink

I notice I find myself gravitating to the XX00 numbers, which makes sense as these are the "purer" colors. This was my first serious trip through the Apollo swatchbook, and it brightened my day. Your color names are even more entertaining than Gelatran's and GAM's. I'd switch to Apollo just because of the names, if only I were 20 years younger.

A while ago, when Jules Fisher was asked his favorite color, he immediately replied "Brigham XX," a Surprise Pink gelatin color long-defunct, and never duplicated in any modern brand. Perhaps he was being politically correct.


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## stantonsound (Nov 20, 2007)

I've never seen a rock band, DJ, club, or amateur lighting guy that didn't LOVE congo blue.......I would think that since there are a few hundred weekend wedding DJ's for every one theatre, I would imagine that Congo Blue is a top 10 best seller.


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## avkid (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm sorry, I just had to.

7050 Fatherless Amber

I love bad humor.


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## JD (Nov 20, 2007)

avkid said:


> I'm sorry, I just had to.
> 7050 Fatherless Amber
> I love bad humor.



HAA! 

I was waiting for someone to come up with a PC name for that color! I think we kicked the favorite gel color thing around awhile back on another thread, but some of my favorites come from the old, old, Roscolene line, and some of them for what they do as compared to what color they were, like 827 pink (I think) that out-and-out fluoresced when exposed to blacklight!

And as for the "fatherless color", my 1979 Roscolux book actually had four versions of it (01, 02, 03, 04) which when read in sequence sounded like a much less that politically correct police lineup !


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## derekleffew (Nov 20, 2007)

I've said before that my theatre professor was taught in Catholic HighSchool that it was called "illegitimate amber." The sales people at Grand Stage Lighting laughed at him when he went in to purchase some 802.


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## gafftapegreenia (Nov 20, 2007)

Ya know, last time I started talking about old gels I got in trouble for not "keeping up with the times" and being "sentimental about the bad old days". That quote about the Brigham Pink is one of those I love, a "lost tool" if you will, kind of like beam projectors. Careful guys, or they'll get you too.

That said, Apollo gel sticks in my mind, but I haven't really used any yet because I just can't run to my local supplier and pick up a sheet yet. I've lately been trying to become more familiar with LEE and how to quickly find their colors. I have a certain liking for R106. I had some in some sharp-focus S4's, and to me it felt similar to the softness of a Fresnel but with a sharp edge. I am also always a fan of R21 Golden Amber, and for cool washes I have found R3206 to be nice clear blue.

I'll probably think of more later.


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## Grog12 (Nov 21, 2007)

R318 Baby

R372

L201

R303

R50's in general...

That Apollo Double Blue...


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## Kelite (Dec 5, 2007)

Thank you for taking the time to write a very good offline email, Derek.
It's all too often I receive an email that looks more like a text message than reflections upon deep thought. Kudos to you!

I'll do my best to give you accurate info regarding the top 11 Apollo colors we sell, as this report was run at 9:41 am today for your viewing please. Here goes:


1. 4250 Apollo Blue
2. 8300 Diva Red
3. 8350 Bludgeon Red
4. 7450 Golden Amber
5. 1650 Light Textured
6. 7050 Fatherless Amber********
7. 8550 Bit of Pink*********
8. 5400 RnR Green********
9. 4350 Sultry Blue
10. 7600 Apollo Orange 
11. 4200 Bright Blue********

Compared to your list, we've hit several matches in the top ten!

1 AP3200 Submissive Lavender
2 AP3800 Cowboys & Indigo
3 AP4200 Bright Blue
4 AP4900 Island Blue
5 AP5400 RnR Green
6 AP6500 Bikini Yellow
7 AP7050 Fatherless Amber
8 AP8320 Tasty Apple Red
9 AP8550 Bit of Pink
10 AP8800 Sassy Pink


We keep track of the top 144 colors list and I'll recheck at year's end to see how these colors have moved around within the pack.

Thanks for your email, and yes it's been a busy week playing catch-up!

My best wishes to all within the ControlBooth family!


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## PadawanGeek (Dec 5, 2007)

R89 Moss Green

R96 Lime is fun to look at in the book


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## icewolf08 (Dec 5, 2007)

*stomps on the plank* Too Slow!

It's the thought that counts Derek 

EDIT: Oh, ya, go delete you post and make me look silly!


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## Lightingguy32 (Dec 6, 2007)

I would have to go with the following colors:
R-60, R-360, and R-365 for area lights in the cool wash areas.
R-52, R-51 for lavenders for some semi neutral colors.
R-35, R-33, R-34, R-333 for warm zones.

For color washes I like R-83, R-26, and R-91 for Blue, green and red.
My favorite diffusion is R-119, it softens the light but not to the extent that you lose shutter control.


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## Grog12 (Dec 6, 2007)

Lightingguy32 said:


> I would have to go with the following colors:
> R-60, R-360, and R-365 for area lights in the cool wash areas.
> R-52, R-51 for lavenders for some semi neutral colors.
> R-35, R-33, R-34, R-333 for warm zones.
> ...




I have a hatred of R119 that has absolutly nothing to do with how it works but with how certain colleagues of mine lean on it like a crutch and an excuse not to actually focus a light.


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## Lightingguy32 (Dec 6, 2007)

I only use it occasionally and yes, I focus the light before I gel it, so I am not one that leans on it like a crutch. Other than that I do occasionally use R382 for midnight scenes and R339 for some very odd scenes (can't remember what show it was but I know I used the color)


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## Grog12 (Dec 6, 2007)

Lightingguy32 said:


> I only use it occasionally and yes, I focus the light before I gel it, so I am not one that leans on it like a crutch. Other than that I do occasionally use R382 for midnight scenes and R339 for some very odd scenes (can't remember what show it was but I know I used the color)


Not saying you did...I just know too many people who do.


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## Lightingguy32 (Dec 8, 2007)

Any one a fan of GAM color, I usually use their swatch book as a starting point to choose colors and than move on to the Rosco Swatch when I need to find a more refined version of that color. It really helps to start with a thin swatch book cause the rosco book is really really thick now


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## Footer (Dec 8, 2007)

Lightingguy32 said:


> Any one a fan of GAM color, I usually use their swatch book as a starting point to choose colors and than move on to the Rosco Swatch when I need to find a more refined version of that color. It really helps to start with a thin swatch book cause the rosco book is really really thick now



Looked at Lee lately? Gam does have some pretty great colors on the saturated side of things.


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## Mike Cloobeck (Feb 19, 2014)

Howdy,

For warm washes I generally stick to the common: R02, R08 and the occasional R16
For cool I love R60 and L366
I also love a good surprise pink

My new favorite color, funny story. An ME I had on a gig late last year didn't like my color choice and snuck in G841 instead of the one I spec'd. Turns out I really like it for dark washes where moonlight needs to cut through. 

I also use R24 Scarlet a lot and for the first time I used R3152 Urban Vapor which I am falling in love with.


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## Goatman (Feb 23, 2014)

Standard warm wash: If it's a comedy, I like R02; if it's a drama, I like R01.
Standard cool wash: Again, Comedy = R361; drama = R355
Diffusion: I typically focus the instrument instead and have used very few diffusion gels. 
and other favorites: I try to work R39 and R99 into every show that I design (one show last summer, I was co-designing for Lucky Stiff and we couldn't agree on a gel color at first so we called the two channels we needed to gel "Colors and crap" (hence the use of a brown gel).
On the cyc, I really like using R124, R125, and R10.


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## ledstixx (Mar 15, 2014)

I am usually using 1/2 Soft Frost, Cosmetic Rouge and Brushed Silk


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