One common element binds all rain-saturated videos: sunlight is absent in every frame. This is important as sunlight destroys the mood of rain swept shots. The frame should have streaming water and darkness. The dark could be either welcoming or foreboding, but no sunlight must come in to puzzle the viewer. Yes, sunshine and rain can occur simultaneously in the real world, but not on the screen. Video production in such cases could take more time than usual, but a professional video production agency ensures that the end result is a perfect one.
PLAN IN ADVANCE
A good video agency plans any shoot well in advance. Light studies are done by sending a capable technician to the shooting site with a camera. It is important to identify multiple camera positions. One should also record the position of the sun from those camera positions. The aim is to execute all the wide shots when sunlight is minimal. It follows that those shots are best taken in the early morning or at dusk. The golden hour after the setting of the sun is also a good time.
Wide shots are the hardest to arrange for in the rain. There could be another complication: it could rain in the foreground but not in the background. This kind of complications arrives when artificial rain is used during video production. To overcome this difficulty, either you have to shoot in the actual rain or use multiple rain machines scattered all over to rain all over the foreground and the background. Worst of all, you need to get up in the early morning or wait patiently all day to do the rain shot during the golden hour. If you elect to do these shots in the morning, be prepared to wake up at three in the early hours to prepare the rain rigs. You also need adequate trained personnel to pull it off. Remember the next retake could only happen 14 hours later. This could turn out to be a massive waste of time and money in case you have no other shot to take.
Fix the shooting angles much ahead of their time. Do not try to think on the go. Only with adequate preparation, you could save money. Logistics must be planned to perfection before you embark on this venture.
MEDIUM SHOTS
Medium shots are important too. The magic hour, thankfully, is not needed. You can take such shots in the shade. Choose the best spots related to the position of the sun. Do this by using the light study. You may discover that man-made or natural objects place some areas of the street in near permanent shade. Medium shots are trickier than they look at the time window of the photography gets narrower from the morning until it is narrowest at noon. The shaded area becomes larger after 12 pm as dusk approaches. The best time is the magic hour. Shoot the pivotal scenes during that time.
If the film needs a rain sequence, you should hire a rain rig. Many filmmakers try to slash costs by using anything from fire trucks to garden hoses. Do not do this. It is best to hire professional effects equipment. Rain rigs are typically gargantuan structures, which scatter water both in the foreground and in the background. The problem starts when the rain rig is too big for the environment it is in. A rain rig needs cranes and condors to install. The easiest option is thus a Rain Wand or Rain Towers for dolly or handheld shots. A rail tower is simply a long pipe with a sprinkler head and stands. These types of equipment can be easily moved around. They can cover a multitude of situations. Do use rain towers in a judicious manner as they can provide an artificial look to the shot frame. An alert viewer may realize the impossibility of rain falling from multiple directions. The heads of the sprinklers must not cross one another. Get a larger sprinkler head if need be. Do not attempt to cut expenses by using multiple sprinkler heads to cover any scene. Do not allow wide rain shoots or allow the sprinkler heads to get near the frame edge. If this happens, the beauty of rain shots will be lost.
If you are considering having a video made, contact Melty Cone today and let us know - we are here to help! Melty Cone is a full-service video production company in NYC providing video production services for New York and beyond!
