White balance

[Ckulakov]

I'm shooting a televangelism series using two sony HDR-FX1's. I am trying to add some intrest to the image by using color. I bought some bastard amber gels for the lights illuminating the subject, and half-blue as the rim light. How should I white balance using these cameras, I know i could just white balance with a white board and witth NO gels on the lights, and then put the gels on them once the white balance is locked down. BUT I am sure that there is a tungsten/indoor preset somewhere that I can use. How should I deal with the white balance technicalities? Please describe the process in detail because I am very new to this camera?

 

Thanks

[Bob Hayes]

I?d love to give you lots of pompous wisdom but you figured it out. So I can?t. Set your camera on preset tungsten. Add your gels and see if you get what you want. If it is off. Take one of your lights with out gels and white balance. Switch between the two.

[David Mullen ASC]

I don't know the particulars of that camera, but you could either use the 3200K (tungsten) pre-set balance OR white-balance under ungelled tungsten light to a white card. While in theory, the results should be the same, in truth there is always a little difference so it just depends on which look you prefer. Once you store the white balance, it's easy to switch over to the 3200K preset (which overrides the manual white balance) and see which you like.

 

Often, unless I want to fool the white balance, I just use the 3200K preset when working under tungsten lighting so that the colored gels create their intended effect.

[Bob Hayes]

The last feature I shot which was with the Sony F 900. I shot most of the picutre in Presets. My only color correction was switching color correction filters between 3200, 4200, 5600, 6200. The changes where subtle enough as to appear esthetic choices. I?d light a scene with 3200 and shoot it with a 4200 slide. To give it a warm effect. It worked great and color correction was a breeze.