Rain FX

[Jayson Crothers]

I have a no-budget shoot coming up and we're looking at shooting a small night exterior in the rain. We're already looking at using long lenses and finding backgrounds that won't create huge spaces of depth to try and cover; we're shooting DV. Any and all suggestions for rain FX are welcome; varius rigs people have used, tricks and tips, etc. Thanks to all in advance.

[David Mullen ASC]

I've only had two rain sequences in my features. One was a few years ago and I used two garden hoses spraying high into the air and kept things framed tight. On my recent feature, we had one wide shot in a large backyard with a heavy rain and I used rain towers for the first time. Worked great.

 

The main thing is to backlight -- even cross-light -- the rain. It just disappears unless light is hitting it from behind (luckily with video, you won't need the backlight to be as bright). So start out figuring out where you are going to be able to backlight from to figure out where to set the rain shot. Figure out how you are going to keep things dr (like the camera) and where your electrical cables are going to be. On the last show, the rain was backlit by an 18K on a Condor behind the house, so there wasn't much electricity near the actual area where the actors would be -- it was all lit from a distance.

[Guest oscar]

Down here, I practicly rent a fireman truck with hoses, but in other places... I don't know, it's very useful!!

Good luck

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I don't know if it's the same way in the US, but my first reaction would be to find a historic preserved fire truck. A lot of them are registered with the fire brigade over here as they're actually still useful, but renting one of them for the day might be cheaper than going to the fire department.

 

Phil

[Jason Maeda]

in my short catalog of experiences shooting, i have had two "rain" sequences.

 

the first was a film shot in "dumbo" at that tree below the brooklyn bridge. it was clear, mid-afternoon light. i shot in the shadow of a building, sprayed a single hose fed from a resteraunt into the air about 8 feet in front of the camera, and color corrected heavily at telecine. i think it looks really great. believable but expressive at the same time.

 

my second experience was on a short film, super-16. half the film (30 minutes total) takes place in a bmw driving through the rain. we shot in rural maine on a freshly paved road in the middle of nowhere. in front of the action car (actually driven by the actor, with soundman in trunk), there drove a pick-up truck, on the back of which sat the grip, holding a hose that was fed by a 30 gallon plastic bin strapped right behind the driver. the pressure was provided by a bilge pump i bought at "marine world" or whatever and spliced onto a car-lighter power adapter. looked totally real from inside the action car. i'm really proud of that sequence.

 

jason kollias :ph34r:

[Jayson Crothers]

My wonderful producer has secured a backlot with rain towers already in place........now I just need to shoot it. Any and all advice and experience of shooting in the rain is apprciated; AC power is unfortunately required, and our budget is frightfully low (is there any other kind?). I'm really looking for tidbits on the little things that will make life more bearable that are easy to forget until you're standing on set thinking "Gee, it would have been nice if I had thought of that before hand."

 

Much thanks!

[Mitch Gross]

Have tons of compressed air, hair blowers and disposable paper towels. Every bit of equipment and crew is going to get wet and it's really annoying. Get rolls of visquein (clear plastic tarp sheeting) to cover anything and everything. Invest in not only a nice raincoat, but also rain pants, available at Home Depot. So very worth it.

 

Remember to crosslight or backlight your rain, otherwise you may never see it.

[Jayson Crothers]

Perhaps an obvious question: what material(s) make for the best rain hats for lights? I would assume Celo, but I'm open if other people have other items they like. Additionally, where can one find large amounts of Celo for sale? Thanks again to everyone for their help.

[Michael Nash]

My wonderful producer has secured a backlot with rain towers already in place........now I just need to shoot it.  Any and all advice and experience of shooting in the rain is apprciated

That wouldn't happen to be the flash flood set at Universal would it? I recently finished a gig there on that street. Two main concerns there (or anywhere else) -- the uneven ground became VERY slick and it's easy to slip and hurt yourself (especially if carrying euipment). Second, if the towers aren't high enough you see a distinct arc to the raindrops as they fall. On that set there was really only one tower that produced vertical rain; the others looked... well, cheap.

 

Protect all your cable runs and connections from standing water. If a cable has a break in the insulation it can leak power into the surrounding puddle.

 

Backlit rain looks beautiful on camera, but the working conditions can become pretty miserable. It can get cumbersome trying to work when you and the gear are covered up with waterproof wear. Plan on EVERYTHING taking at least twice as long as normal -- changing lenses, running cable, setting up lights.

 

For more insight into shooting in rain, check out the special features on the DVD of "Identity." The whole movie takes place in the rain, and most of it was built on a soundstage.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

> Backlit rain looks beautiful on camera, but the working conditions can become

> pretty miserable.

 

Yes, yes, I know... oh, how I know.

 

> It can get cumbersome trying to work when you and the gear are covered up\

> with waterproof wear.

 

That too!

 

> For more insight into shooting in rain, check out the...

 

Or move to Olde England, and experience free rain 366 days a year!

 

Phil