The Magic of Rain and How to Create A Convincing Storm
However, as interesting as it is, playing rainmaker requires some technicality. The last thing you want to do is wait for actual rain, as you have absolutely no control over its duration, intensity, and time. And this might drastically slow down production, especially if you are shooting in the middle of the drier seasons.
Creating rain can be incredibly labor-intensive. You need to not only get the droplets right, but you also need to know the right camera angles, positions, and other elements involved in rainmaking including dirt, mist, and lightning.
If done right, your fake rain would convince any viewer that the thunderstorm was a paid actor. If you are curious to know how to act as rainmaker, here is all we know about rain in film and the steps to creating a convincing storm.
Get your equipment
Depending on your budget, your equipment could vary from a garden hose to a fire hydrant hose to a cheap do-it-yourself rain machine to the more professional rain rig or rain tower.
Garden hose: For more gentle showers, you can produce a convincing drizzle with just water and a hose. You may use a gardening nozzle or just tip the end of the hose skyward and hold your thumb over the mouth for a sprayed effect.
While this is great for close-up shots, you would not be able to use the hose for consistent rain.
Fire hydrant: Large droplets of rain are required for storms and you can easily achieve this by using a fire hydrant hose. You might even add a little more realism by using a big fan to scatter the droplets about.
DIY rain machine: Tight on your budget? You can make an effective rain machine by simply making holes in a hose, fastening it to a piece of wood, and hanging it over your subject.
Rain rig: Rain rigs are more on the professional side and are necessary when you are shooting a rain scene on a much wider scape such as a street. The rain rig would work perfectly to put drizzle to the background.
Unfortunately, these huge rain rigs are too difficult to cope with since they require condors and cranes. For hand-held or dolly shots, a rain tower is a better option.
Rain Tower: A rain tower consists of lengthy pipes with supports and spray-heads attached.
Using a lot of rain towers should be avoided as they might cause your rain to look artificial. Check to see whether the rain from the sprinkler heads is crossing each other. It is better to purchase a bigger sprinkler head and not utilize it all than to try to use all heads for just one scene.
Light it up
The actual secret to photographing rain is to make sure the water is properly illuminated. This will make it easier to photograph the individual droplets. So make sure your rain scenes have a proper backlight that is not too harsh or too soft. Be conscious to keep these backlights off the actors as it might appear as though they are standing under the sun. This brings us to the next point.
Stay away from the sun
The light from the sun will render your rain invisible. Shooting at night allows you to use backlighting to accentuate those huge, realistic raindrops that you see in movies.
While rain does fall when the sun shining, it is very uncommon.
Wet down
Hose down roads, plants, cars, street signs, and your actors to make it seem like rain had just stopped falling.
You can do the wetting with a hose but be conscious of the fact that trying to cover a large area with too small a water source will cost you a lot of production time.
Because water evaporates very quickly on warm pavement, think twice before committing to a wet down for a long sequence
Wet props
Because a storm needs a little dust blown in the wind and debris on the ground, you should consider creating both. While you need to add dust, particles, and bits, be sure to keep your actor’s safety in mind. These are a few materials used by filmmakers on film sets.
Leaves
Oatmeal
Fullers Earth (Dust/Dirt)
Cedar Bedding and Litter
Plan ahead
If the rain you're dealing with on set iis actual rain from the clouds, make sure you prepare ahead. Check the weather forecast, plan for delays, and allow plenty of time for setup and breakdown. You'll also need to offer a dry location for your cast, crew, and equipment.
You might also want to go to the venue of the shoot beforehand to do a light study. Identify multiple camera sites, then have the sun's position recorded from those positions throughout the day. The plan is to take all of the large, wide photos when there isn't any direct sunlight. The optimum times to do this are first thing in the morning and last thing before the sunsets. i.e. the golden or magical hour. These are the only periods of the day when you can be certain there will be no direct traffic.
To finish off, it is crucial to be aware of your water source and control it. That is, be certain that you can adjust the water pressure to your liking.
Also, make sure that there is adequate water before you start shooting the scene. The last thing you need is your assistant shouting that the water has finished and having to pause productions just so you can carry a few buckets of water from a public borehole.
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