has anyone found a good cheap resource or alternative for all the colored gels and diffusion we use in productions? ( i dont work in a studio anymore so i dont have access to the scraps i used before!)

thanks,
marc

well Filmtools.com sells gels pretty damn cheap. 5.40 each.


However if you have a good printer like an Epson R300 or similar, you can make your own custom gels really cheaply.

Use transparency sheets, open a paint program and choose the color you want and fill the entire page with that color, and then print.

Instant colored gel. Pennies each.

Be careful about what you substitute for gels since you may create a fire hazard. The color medium and dye for gels has been refined over the years to give the longest possible life. In addition to being expensive (ink cartridges and transparency sheets aren't cheap), I doubt that the home-made option will be very durable.

Check prices with The Production Advantage (http://www.productionadvantageonline.com/pdf_files/catalog/Page 27.qxp.pdf), we buy a lot of our theatrical supplies there and have found the prices very competitive. Once you have established a relationship with them they'll discount these list prices significantly.

thank you for the suggestions. i checked the sites out and they have decent prices. thanks again!
marc