Color Is for Rainbows

A: Okay, I’ll tell you where to get what you want—and then try to talk you out of it. Color gels come from theatrical supply houses. The gel material comes in sheets and you cut them to fit your fixtures. Go to www.stagespot.com and click on GELS; Rosco and Lee are the two big companies who make them. You can call toll free, (888) 56-STAGE, to get a sample ring of all the hues they have to figure out the colors you need.

    Now that I’ve told you how to get what you asked for, I am asking you not to do it. Strong colors of light create a very unreal look. They draw too much attention to the light sources, rather than what they are lighting. The effect is much like that of a miniature golf course. Call me old-fashioned, but at Christmastime, I like the snow white and the trees green. When the trees are red and the house is green, you have a surreal look. On the other hand, I do love trees strung and houses decorated with colored lights. I even love them flashing and blinking. But please let the landscape lighting stay more natural in color. So, on the 4th of July, how about putting a nice crisp white light on the American flag, instead of alternating the path lights with red, white and blue color gels?

The lighting on this facade doesn’t exactly say,“Come on in.” It’s more like a scene from “The Omen.”

    Now look what you have done. You’ve gotten me all excited about a Halloween lighting extravaganza. If you call the toll free number and it’s busy, it will be me on the line ordering gels.