Wet Road Look

D

DVX100Shooter

Veteran
As seen in many music videos either the artist or dancers are performing on what looks like a wet road where a tanker truck sprayed the road down before the camera starts rolling to give it that wet look. Well I don't have access to a tanker truck so what would be some alternatives I could do if I wanted a shot like that? This won't be near anywhere where I could hook up a garden hose either.
 
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Fill a truck with gallons of water?

They actually do spray everything down with a tanker truck for night scenes to help reflect light.
 
5 gallon buckets at home depot ---$5.99 each
Hose "borrowed" from your parents backyard ---free
watering can "borrowed" from your parents backyard ---also free

Most locations you can find a tap somewhere. If not go get a tap adapter so you can hook the hose up to any sink.

Most real productions rent a small tanker truck that sprays down the street
 
There isn't really a way around that one. You'd be surprised at how much water it actually takes to spray the street. Here's my approach. If there is not a way around it look for an idea to make it work. This is what I would do.
Almost every construction site rents a tank and truck. Go there, talk to the supervisor or the guy in charge, tell him what you are doing and what you need. Offer to trade some work for a truck full of water or two. Offer to film his crew and spend a couple of days just documenting them at work. Putting together a dvd set to music, something very entertaining, just for posterities sake. You know, something to take home to show the kids. These construction or development companies now have websites where they could use footage, or maybe even there is a need for commercial or promotional video. It's an Idea. ...and that is the only thing you will ever lack. All they can do is say no. (it doesn't hurt to take a real cute girl along, maybe from the cast, to make your pitch) Then go onto the next guy.
Every time we have come up against and challenge like that, it always gets resolved by putting into action some good ideas. Even if we lack the resources at the time. You would be surprised at how willing people are to help you when they know you are making a movie. There's just something magical about that.
Don't forget to let them know that they will have their names in the "special thanks" of your credits.
 
I know an LA DP who shoots famous named car spots.
He has used a 5-gallon bucket and an intern to wet down the street in rural Orange County. Give a guy a 5-gallon bucket, a faucet and an hour, and it'll get done!
 
I am in no way recommending that anyone do this, but lets say I hypothetically had a shoot where the street needed to be wet, so I opened a fire hydrant for a couple of minutes and then used brooms to spread the water around.
 
pdsage10 said:
I am in no way recommending that anyone do this, but lets say I hypothetically had a shoot where the street needed to be wet, so I opened a fire hydrant for a couple of minutes and then used brooms to spread the water around.
Click to expand...

Periodically, they open hydrants to flush out the system. Perhaps you could coordinate the two events?
 
On "Saturday Night Special" we needed a wet street for several wide shots. We called the local film office and they had the Parks Services send a road cleaning truck, which came by three times during our shoot and sprayed the street down for about 1 city block.

This cost $100.00, plus some pizza and cokes to talk the driver into a third free pass.

As Corona stated, this takes a TREMENDOUS amount of water. Also, it evaporates quickly. We were shooting in the middle of the night during a rainy time of year and we needed to spray the street every 3 hours.

If you're shooting during the day in a hotter part of the country during a hotter part of the year you'll need to wet your street down constantly, otherwise you'll have continuity problems.

I don't recommend the 5 gallon approach. I've done it, and it is a major hassle. It is worth some pizza, cokes and 100 bucks to have a city cleaning truck do this.
 
Here's an idea, if you want the road wet, change locations to where you can wet the road. If you aren't all that concerned about it being wet then don't bother. It's all about what is more important to the production. If you don't have the budget to rent a tanker truck and no access to water, then you're going to have to comprimise. . . or do a rain dance and hope it rains!
 
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