Gels

Do you need to use colour gels for all lights in stage lighting?

IM very new to stage lighting and im a little confused - Do you need to use gel filters on all lights that you use when setting up lighting for the stage. Or if you dont want colour on stage should you just leave the lights without gel filters?

Public Comments

1. You don't have to use coloured gels, it depends entirely on the use.
2. You can go without a filter, but in professional theatre, a clear gel would be used, or more often a slightly cloudy one - this is because the light can be quite harsh otherwise, certainly for naturalistic settings.
3. It depends on the quality of light you are using, and for what purpose. Generally though, if all you want is a white wash, then you don't need to bother with gel filters.