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[Chris Yates]

Hello All,

Long time PSW Forum reader, first time poster, very non-qualified lighting designer. 

I am currently the "most experienced and willing" lighting tech at my church.  I am the primary sound tech, so lights are kind of a secondary area of serving for me. 

Our stage is 60 feet wide by 30 feet deep.  17 feet from deck to ceiling.  We have a full-scale production recording and post edit for a TV broadcast.  We also do Live Streaming and IMAG.  We have different lighting cues for each worship song, greeting, preaching, etc.

Being that we record our services for the TV broadcast, I am conflicted between designing light cues to look good in the sanctuary and proper lighting for the broadcast.  We currently have 14 PAR cans used for back lighting.  They are all in a straight line and provide a relatively even wash across the stage.  I am not a fan of the way they look, especially through haze, so I was wondering if I should add gels.  We currently have no gels on any of our theater lights.

Here are the first questions I have:

1. Will adding gels make it difficult to get the apparent depth needed for the TV broadcast?

2. Are gels normally used for back lighting?

3. What are the proper color gels to use?

4. What is the proper way to configure backlights?

I'm sure we can swing getting gels.  I am also sure we will not be approved for LEDs, or any other new fixtures for that matter.

Thanks for the help.
Chris

[Tim Weaver]

Hello All,

Long time PSW Forum reader, first time poster, very non-qualified lighting designer. 

I am currently the "most experienced and willing" lighting tech at my church.  I am the primary sound tech, so lights are kind of a secondary area of serving for me. 

Our stage is 60 feet wide by 30 feet deep.  17 feet from deck to ceiling.  We have a full-scale production recording and post edit for a TV broadcast.  We also do Live Streaming and IMAG.  We have different lighting cues for each worship song, greeting, preaching, etc.

Being that we record our services for the TV broadcast, I am conflicted between designing light cues to look good in the sanctuary and proper lighting for the broadcast.  We currently have 14 PAR cans used for back lighting.  They are all in a straight line and provide a relatively even wash across the stage.  I am not a fan of the way they look, especially through haze, so I was wondering if I should add gels.  We currently have no gels on any of our theater lights.

Here are the first questions I have:

1. Will adding gels make it difficult to get the apparent depth needed for the TV broadcast?

2. Are gels normally used for back lighting?

3. What are the proper color gels to use?

4. What is the proper way to configure backlights?

I'm sure we can swing getting gels.  I am also sure we will not be approved for LEDs, or any other new fixtures for that matter.

Thanks for the help.
Chris

Gels are totally fine for backlighting on video.

If you have 14 upstage Pars, how are they configured? In a straight line across the back? Also what kind of lamps are in them? You will want something with a narrow beam to cut through haze.

[Chris Yates]

Gels are totally fine for backlighting on video.

If you have 14 upstage Pars, how are they configured? In a straight line across the back? Also what kind of lamps are in them? You will want something with a narrow beam to cut through haze.

Thanks for the reply.

The 14 PARs are all spaced evenly in a straight line across the back, about a foot below the ceiling.  I don't know what kind of lamps are in them.  If I were to guess, I would say that I probably have a mix of wide and narrow beams.  I don't believe there was a whole lot of thought that went into it when they were installed. 

Should there be some type of notation on the lamp that denoted the beam width?

If using gels, is it best to use all the same color, or multiple colors? 

I don't want it to look like a row of Easter eggs up there, but I also don't want to cause a weird coloration on the video.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Thanks for the reply.

The 14 PARs are all spaced evenly in a straight line across the back, about a foot below the ceiling.  I don't know what kind of lamps are in them.  If I were to guess, I would say that I probably have a mix of wide and narrow beams.  I don't believe there was a whole lot of thought that went into it when they were installed. 

Should there be some type of notation on the lamp that denoted the beam width?

If using gels, is it best to use all the same color, or multiple colors? 

I don't want it to look like a row of Easter eggs up there, but I also don't want to cause a weird coloration on the video.

You want to make sure your background is not too bright, and possibly not too saturated - cameras struggle with super saturation.  An even wash will help, as cameras have less dynamic range than your eyes, so hotspots will stick out more.  This may be hard to achieve with your PARs, but experimenting with placement will help.

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