I know many programmers who carry around a disk loaded with palettes or presets of their favorite color mix combinations. Some of these combinations are made to match gel colors, while others are just favorites. Either way, I often can tell that the shows are programmed by certain people by their color palette. I personally like to take the time to custom-mix colors for each production (unless I have very limited programming time). This way I am creating a different light green that better suits the actual fixture, set, costumes, act, etc. OK, so maybe it is hard to tell the difference between 20% magenta and 25% magenta, but I know that my colors are unique for each production. Just imagine what new shades or hues you might find if you spend 10 minutes and explore the possibilities in the amber range of a fixture. If you can not let go of your standard colors, then at least take the time to see what new colors you can add to your good ol’ palette.
– From Brad Schiller’s Feeding the Machines column in the January 2006 issue of PLSN
