Color color color
Color, color, color... oh my what colors!
Color can be soft, warm, hot, dramatic, cool, and every feeling in between. Your choice of color can help determine the atmosphere of the event. Color comes from light - from gels.
Not all gels are the same. I prefer Apollo gels. I have not had much luck with so called "value" gels. Just compare the feel of gels. I like them saturated and with some body and I find I can reuse them enough to make them a value.
Most gel makers have a full array of colors for every use. There are gels in skin tones for photography, gels for video, and television. For the event business we use gels that are normally more saturated than your normal colors... somewhat more exaggerated than normal.
Shades of blue simulate cold and darkness. Moonlight is normally depicted as blue light. And ice parties use a cool blue. Lavendars and purple create the idea of richness. And of course our roses and pinks are used to create joy and warmth...every shade hotter creates a more lively event. But remember the lighter shades of color usually don't translate well in event environments.
Golds, ambers, and reds are bold strong colors for bold events and effects. Gold translates to warmth, wealth, aged, and confidence. Reds bring the idea of heat, action, and works well for depth.
Greens can be used carefully as a backgound wash but need additional colors to accent. Again the more saturated the more effect such as deep emerald green.
Colors can also signify "greeness". The new green colors include celadon, orange, and medium blue along with naturak tones of gold such as "straw".
But the real key to color is to provide"texture" through the use of different hues and placing the lights in opposing angles.
Texture is also accomplished with opposing colors and blending of colors. A very effective use of color is a "sunset" gel, which is three different pieces of gel put together. Or another good trick is to add a "border" of a color. Such as adding an amber strip to a blue gel or add a deep deep pink strip to a hot pink gel, or an amber strip to a red gel.
There are no boundaries - play with the gels and gel pieces. Don't be afraid to tape pieces together to make a kaleidoscope of color. You may just surprise yourself and your client.
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