The time taken cutting gels with a knife or scissors can really eat up the time the lighting crew has onstage. The fastest way I have come across to get the gels in the hands of the electricians is a paper cutter, and is the most often used in theaters.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, think back… way back and remember the boards from kindergarten art class that you weren’t allowed to touch with the large cutting arm attached to a small table top. That is a paper cutter. 

To make things even easier, take the gel frames from my different instruments and mark out their sizes with a Sharpie marker. This allows the person cutting to quickly line up sheets without measuring. Some people make the same markings with spike tape, but I have found over time this will peel up at the edges and leave sticky residue, so I prefer the Sharpie method. 

They are hard to find and more expensive, but try to get a paper cutter that will accommodate the entire gel sheet in one cut. While it is possible to cut them with a smaller cutter, it does make things faster, safer and more accurate if you aren’t shifting the sheet to finish a cut. 

Also, always use caution.  These tools cut best when they are super sharp, but they have also been known to be quite effective at cutting off fingers.  Never leave the arm up, because it can fall suddenly and without warning.

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