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Water Reflections On Wall


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Hi all,

 

Came across an interesting challenge the other day when reading a script for a music video. I have to create the effect of water reflections on a wall (think average room size). The room will be darkly lit. Think swimming pool at night. The only thing is, there won't actually be any water in the room, its just an effect meant to be "surreal". The only solution that came to mind was shooting light through a couple small aquariums, and then using a mirror to better direct the water reflections on to the wall. Think that would work? Any better ideas?

 

Does anyone have any experience doing this? Really having trouble with this one.

 

Looking forward to hearing some suggestions, thanks!

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4x4 frame with a maybe a flavor of CTB in it a little loose. Bounce a light off of it, and have a grip move the gel to create a rippling effect on the wall. There's also wave generators that use LED lights and mirrors that are really nice, i've gotten them from DJ and live venue houses in the past, you can dial in intensity and exact color as well.

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I've seen lights shot into a kiddie pool with a mirror in it, grips pushing the edge of the pool so the water moves around a little.

This sounds like a doable option! Do you remember how large the effect on the wall was in relation to its distance from the wall? And was the mirror roughly the same size as the kiddie pool? Know this would be really helpful because I'm basically going to have to buy the materials, thanks!

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This sounds like a doable option! Do you remember how large the effect on the wall was in relation to its distance from the wall? And was the mirror roughly the same size as the kiddie pool? Know this would be really helpful because I'm basically going to have to buy the materials, thanks!

 

This trick definitely works. Instead of finding a mirror if you can't find one that fits, aluminum foil also works. Just line the bottom of the pool with aluminum foil before adding the water. Point a fixture right at it bouncing in the direction you want the reflections to cast. Then get a fan and point it into the pool to create the ripple effect.

 

Of course also consider the contrast ratio on the wall you're projecting the ripple reflection on to in order to keep them visible.

 

In regards to size of reflection on the wall the further the pool the larger the size of reflection, so you can play with distance as opposed to size of pool. You don't need a very big pool to get a big reflection. I've actually seen this been done with a large baking sheet with just an inch or so of water in it instead of a kiddie pool and the reflection was really wide.

Edited by Nadeem Soumah
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One large and deep aluminum roasting pan with a few inches of water in pan, add pieces of broken mirror to cover bottom of roasting pan, point a hard light source into pan, angle pan to direct light to desired area on wall, stir gently to create desired movement.

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One large and deep aluminum roasting pan with a few inches of water in pan, add pieces of broken mirror to cover bottom of roasting pan, point a hard light source into pan, angle pan to direct light to desired area on wall, stir gently to create desired movement.

 

I recently saw a DP do this for a scene that took place in the hull of a boat. It works great.

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One large and deep aluminum roasting pan with a few inches of water in pan, add pieces of broken mirror to cover bottom of roasting pan, point a hard light source into pan, angle pan to direct light to desired area on wall, stir gently to create desired movement.

 

Done this as well and works perfectly. It's easier if the water is shallow like that and the lip is low (unlike an aquarium) because the effect is easier to spread out and the gear is easier to deal with.

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One large and deep aluminum roasting pan with a few inches of water in pan, add pieces of broken mirror to cover bottom of roasting pan, point a hard light source into pan, angle pan to direct light to desired area on wall, stir gently to create desired movement.

 

When I've tried the broken mirror approach I've found it hard to hide the shapes of the broken pieces of glass in the reflection. As a result I tend towards the use of aluminum foil or baking trays depending on the the necessary size of the container. Mylar works great for a large area effect but is noisy.

 

I have heard the broken mirror approach recommended many times so I wonder if I was doing something wrong.

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