Alright, folks, gather ’round. Today, I’m gonna share my little adventure with the GAM Film FX. It all started a while back when I got this crazy idea for a lighting effect for a project I was working on. I had heard about this thing called the GAM Film FX, which is supposed to be some kind of attachment for spotlights to create moving effects. Sounded cool, so I decided to give it a shot.
First thing I did was, of course, get my hands on one of these gadgets. It’s basically a motor with a film loop that you stick in front of an ellipsoidal spotlight. The idea is that the film has some kind of pattern on it, and when it moves, it creates a moving light effect. Simple enough, right?
So, I got the Film FX and a few film loops with different patterns, think of water, fire, the usual stuff. Setting it up was a bit of a hassle, to be honest. You gotta attach it to the front of the spotlight, and there are these rollers and things that you have to align just right. I fumbled around with it for a bit, following the instructions the best I could. Finally, I got it all hooked up and ready to go.
- First Test:
- Troubleshooting:
- The Verdict:
Turned on the spotlight, started the Film FX motor, and… well, it worked, kind of. The effect was there, but it wasn’t quite what I had imagined. The movement was a bit jerky, and the patterns weren’t as smooth as I’d hoped. Also it can not be stopped when the spotlight is on.
Spent the next few hours tinkering with the thing. I tried adjusting the rollers, changing the speed of the motor, and even tried different film loops. Nothing seemed to make much of a difference. I even tried the gobo loop device with a Source 4 LED, but still not good as I expected.
In the end, I managed to get a decent effect, but it took way more effort than I thought it would. It’s not a bad piece of equipment, but it’s definitely not plug-and-play. You gotta be ready to put in some work to get it looking right. This is not like the new tech products like VR, I tried Meta Quest 3 last week, it is much better than its older ones, but I would still say it’s 90% to perfect, not there yet.
My Two Cents
Would I recommend the GAM Film FX? If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to create moving light effects, maybe not. But if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to tweak it, you can get some pretty cool results. Just be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. And make sure you buy from official, I tried to find used one but it is not easy. I saw some repair questions on different forums, don’t buy used one. Anyway, that’s my story about my adventure with the GAM Film FX. Hope it was helpful, or at least entertaining. Catch you all later!
