I just got an Arri Jr Plus 650 and an ArriLite 1K but I'm having a hard time deciding which scrims and gels I need to buy.

Can anyone give me any direction on this? Also, I've checked around on different websites but I'm still unclear as to whether or not the scrims I buy for the Jr Plus is compatible with the ArriLite as well.

Does anyone know?


Thanks!

Nevermind. I decided just to contact Arri directly.

For anyone who could use the information:
Arri Jr Plus 650W takes a 6 5/8" scrim
and the ArriLite 1000W takes a 7 1/4" scrim.

Does anyone have a recommendation which scrims to buy?

I'm considering a full single and a full double for both the ArriLite 1K and Arri Jr 650Plus.

Am I covering my ground OK with just these? Should I consider also getting the half-single and half-double or would getting all of those be overkill?

Do you have a dimmer? I wouldn't dim tungsten down really far because it would change the color temperature, but it should be good for fine control. Between using a scrim to bring the light way down and a dimmer for a small tweak, you should be able to get perfect control. If you have the dimmer, you won't need as many scrims. There are often many ways to get at a solution, choose what makes the most sense to you. You can also get ND gel as an example.

I'd recommend one single and two doubles. Given the approximation of a single equally half a stop, this will give you the ability to cut your light in 1/2 stop increments up to 2 1/2 stops. I don't consider the half scrims useful personally, as they are too close to the light. Flags are much better, but if you have to work from the light, get some varieties of ND gel as Marcus indicated and clip it to the barn doors. You'll get a more defined line of cut than with the half gels.

I didn't buy a dimmer actually because I remembered that it would slightly change CT so I figured it'd be better to go with the different types of diffusion. I am still considering it though, and an ND gel is a good idea too. I don't have one yet.

Which companies specialize in affordable dimming solutions? I assume a professional one would fare better than a random one from Home Depot, am I right?

Charles: I noticed you recommended two doubles, can I fit two scrims into an Arri light at once? I assumed I'd only be able to fit one in at a time.

You can dim tungsten light somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of its output before the output becomes noticeably warm. I say noticeably because this is a relative thing--as a key light you'd want to watchout for this but for everything else, it will be a more subtle difference and therefore OK. If it helps, out there in the industry we regularly put tungsten units on dimmers.

Inexpensive lamp dimmers will work on small units, probably under 250W. They are great for practical lights that might be in the frame.

You can easily fit two and even jam three scrims into Arri lights.

Craig,
I have a dimmer made for the Arri 1k. I sold the light and the dimmer is still available if you want it. contact me via email or message me back.

thanks