A scrim is a spun glass cloth that is placed in front of the lighting instruments to soften, diffuse and lower the intensity of the instrument. The rule in TV so as not to change the color temperature of the lighting is Scrim, Don't dim. On stage, the color temp is not something to worry about, but use the scrims as needed in single or multiple layers as you would a gel.

Dave Thank you so much. Your information was very helpful to me. I think we have decided to go with our dimmer since it can do the same thing. Have a nice day:)

Marla, Scrims are frames of wire mesh (think of a screen door) that are designed to reduce the output of a light by blocking a portion of its energy. They are more often used in film and television lighting then theater because the dimmer board usually accomplishes this function on the stage. The advantage to scrims in film and television is that dimming causes tungsten lights to change color (they get warmer or more orange) which while not an issue for the human eye, can have unwanted consequences when recorded on film or tape. Scrims allow you to decrease a light's output without changing its color. Scrims come as either a "Single" which is usually color coded with a green frame that removes 1/4 of the light (1/2 a stop in photographic teminology) or a "Double" color coded red that removes half the light (1 stop). Hope this wasn't more info than you needed. Best of luck, David C. Smith LA/OC Director of Photography