When Gaff tape is NOT the best option

Perks of Paper Tape

The unsung hero of video production

I want to share a little tip that took me a long time to learn about: PAPER TAPE

When I was still pretty green I thought gaff tape was the be-all end-all solution on set. It is great in a lot of circumstances but there’s certain circumstances where it’s inappropriate. The problem is that it’s so tacky that some surfaces just shouldn’t come in contact with the stuff; WOOD, PAINT, and WALLPAPER. You will ruin these surfaces with gaff tape. If you’re shooting in someone’s house or a sensitive location this really limits your options for gaff taping things to the wall.

A while back I was gaffing a student short film and to black out a window I gaff taped my duvetyn straight to the wood trim. On wrap I was pulling off little splinters of the stained wood- it was not a good situation.

ENTER PAPER TAPE!

It looks very similar to gaff at first glance, it’s not nearly as tacky and you can stick it on any surface without worry. I always have both with me and when deciding which to use I first consider the surface and then I ask myself if paper tape could do what I need it to do. I’ve found that the majority of the time paper tape WILL meet my needs and I use paper tape on location way more than gaff tape these days.

Not every camera store in town carries it. I got mine from Gearhead Grip in Portland and they are a great option for expendables.