Actually Making it rain

Aschu

Aschu

Well-known member
So my buddies came up with an idea for a war movie. There is a scene in it that requires rain.... What is the best way to make it rain...realistically. And also we're broke. Any ideas are welcome.
 
Time is also of the essence...we can't necessarily wait until it rains... We figured we could manage with hoses and what not but were curious if there is a better way to do it
 
on a zero budget? design your shots to require only a fairly small set, borrow some hoses, experiment with the nozzles to give the most rainlike fall, wait until a cloudy day, hose down your set to look wet, start your 'rain' going and get filming.

That's not how the professionals would do it, but they have money... :)
 
I'm just saying... the look and feel of rain is what costs you. Anyone can make water fall from the sky with hoses. It's the mud on the ground, the color of the sky, the weight of the tree limbs. Duplicating a rainy day is very very difficult to do.

For instance, it's supposed to rain in Detroit on Monday and Tuesday.
 
Thanks for the input. I understand what you mean about the realism of rain. Maybe we will get lucky and when we need to shoot the scene we can wait for the rain...
 
Difficult? No. Check out Spidey's Sci-Fest entry, CPU--they had believable rain and no budget. It's all in your lighting and camera. Waiting until it rains would be a waste of time and resources, plus it would get your crew a bit POed. Kind of a bad idea in general. Now you can make rain work with garden hoses, sure, but if you need shots that are a bit wider I'd suggest asking your local fire department to help out--I'm given to understand that's rain the indie way. Hose down the area first whatever you do, for sure.
 
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The guys at IM are exceptionally annoying. I strain myself to watch some of their videos.

It's the mud on the ground, the color of the sky, the weight of the tree limbs.
Click to expand...

Well then this is where we introduce creative shooting. Knock out the Long shots and go with the CUs and XCUs here. I mean when you are pumping water into the air for longer than say 5minutes, you are going to get mud. If you need to, wet down trees in the immediate area. Wet down the road. Then fire up the rain machine. Which might only be a hose.

The shoot I worked on, we used two methods. One, a rain curtain between the talent and the camera. We were pumping water out of the lake to make it. And the second time, we actually had talent and crew in the rain. The curtain is the most used method, unless you need them interacting in the rain. Remember, have enough light behind them so you can see the rain.

Also, water is generally cold when pumping from a lake or just taking it from the garden hose. It will be very cold especially if it is a chilly day. Have warm towels, warm water. If they are going to be acting in the rain for an extended time, consider having a warm rain shower set up off set so they can chill there. But make sure to keep them -warm and wet (costs money) or warm and dry (takes time). Warm beverages, towels, changes of clothing, and rapid scheduling will help here.
 
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