Sarah Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 For my A level Theatre Studies lighting assessment I want to create a rain effect! I was thinking about using an animation disk and gobo-any other ideas? I dont know how well it will work!P.S. Ive only got a £30 budget!! ThanksSarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 For my A level Theatre Studies lighting assessment I want to create a rain effect! I was thinking about using an animation disk and gobo-any other ideas? I dont know how well it will work!P.S. Ive only got a £30 budget!! ThanksSarahIs this effect to be projected onto a surface (e.g. the outside of a window)? If so, it'll help enormously if the window (or whatever) is not transparent, but slightly frosted/opaque - it'll pick up the light much better. Apart from that, I'd suggest that you should definitely follow your thought of experimenting with gobos and animation wheels. I'm not going to tell you exactly which gobos and discs to use, because this project has evidently been set by your tutor in order to get you to find ways of creating the effect - and the best way to do that is to get hold of some kit and try some things. But approach the problem in a linear sort of way and you won't go far wrong (BIG CLUE <_<) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Need Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 For my A level Theatre Studies lighting assessment I want to create a rain effect! I was thinking about using an animation disk and gobo-any other ideas? I dont know how well it will work!P.S. Ive only got a £30 budget!! ThanksSarahIs this effect to be projected onto a surface (e.g. the outside of a window)? If so, it'll help enormously if the window (or whatever) is not transparent, but slightly frosted/opaque - it'll pick up the light much better. Apart from that, I'd suggest that you should definitely follow your thought of experimenting with gobos and animation wheels. I'm not going to tell you exactly which gobos and discs to use, because this project has evidently been set by your tutor in order to get you to find ways of creating the effect - and the best way to do that is to get hold of some kit and try some things. But approach the problem in a linear sort of way and you won't go far wrong (BIG CLUE :D) Creating a water effect on stage with the use of KK wheels/animation discs is rarely satisfactory, the best water, especially if "raining on to a window" is to use real water. A pump, electrical or manual pressure type, a bit of hosing and a head from a watering can is fab. You get the sound of falling water also. So a bit of side light on to the water and hey presto! Moreover, by using real water you pass the buck over to the scenic or stage management department!! <_< However, as this is a lighting project then KK's and gobo's are on the right track! Good luck with the project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Bonney Posted February 11, 2003 Share Posted February 11, 2003 Someone once told me something about using rice to create rain, presumably not boiled or fried... Has anyone sen this done? Does it work? I presume it works like a snow bag type situation? <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 11, 2003 Share Posted February 11, 2003 Someone once told me something about using rice to create rain, presumably not boiled or fried... Has anyone sen this done? Does it work? I presume it works like a snow bag type situation? :DI know you can use rice (and not last nights egg fried rice either :D) to make a passable rain effect. I think the those commerical rain maker sticks run on the same kinda scale. Dunno about using rice physically on stage to create a rain effect! I think the best way to do that would be a FX projector or animational wheel. Depends on your budget mind! (As with everything) Stu PS... Just had a thought, an idea which would probably need trying, but experiment with putting a little bit of smoke behind the window, might show the falling rain a bit... And try not to go down the route of making your rain too blue... I did that once (with L132) and didn't look all that realistic... <_< Hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Creating a water effect on stage with the use of KK wheels/animation discs is rarely satisfactory, the best water, especially if "raining on to a window" is to use real water.Yes and no. Yes, in that nothing looks quite as much like water as water. No, in that it's a huge pain in the arse! I did a tour late last year where the designer wanted to use real water for a rain effect on a conservatory and patio upstage. Consider that the set was BIG and HEAVY, there was only the CSM and a production LX (me!) on tour with the show who knew how it went together, and we were doing Monday openings, and you'll see why it would have been a bad idea. He waa talked out of it, and we did it with six Source4's with animation discs in the end - looked lovely, and only took a few minutes to set up!! (And no mopping-up, either ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Need Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 we did it with six Source4's with animation discs in the end - looked lovely, and only took a few minutes to set up!! (And no mopping-up, either ...)I think the original post said "P.S. Ive only got a £30 budget!!" Not sure who you rent kit off but £30 wouldn't stretch to six S4's ;) :P If money was no object however, how does a high-definition video projector sound? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 14, 2003 Author Share Posted February 14, 2003 Yeah there are loads of things I'd hire if money wasn't a problem!! But I've organised hiring an effects wheel, lantern and gobo (+holder and delivery) for a week for under £30 that's not too bad is it??!!! Thanks for all the suggestions!! Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan v Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Kate Bonney Posted on 11 Feb 2003, 09:55 PM-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone once told me something about using rice to create rain, presumably not boiled or fried... Has anyone sen this done? Does it work? I presume it works like a snow bag type situation? The David Glass Mime ensemble used rice to emulate a shower in their production of Mosquito Coast. It was incredibly effective. Mind you, it fell onto a mud floor, so there wasn't a rattling sound, and it fitted in with the overall design concept, which was that everything was recycled from bits and bobs, so rice for rain made intellectual sense. It sounds like your teacher wants realistic rain, and for it to be achieved with light, so animation wheels and gobos look like the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 I think a production of Madam Butterfly at the Coli in the mid eighties used rice on a v. large scale for a rainstorm. Not sure how, I imagine snow bag or snow machine type thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 I know this is really a lighting project, but I have always found the key to creating a low budget rain effect is to use a good raining sound effect. Also if you are trying to create a storm synchronising a strobe flash seconds before you hear a thunderclap can be very effective. So mix the sound with a realistic general cover (ie it is not going to be a bright sunny day) and you might get somewhere.. Of course then add in animation disks etc as you wish.. One thing that does really annoy me about raining scenes however, is when it appears to be raining and the actors are completely dry, so make sure you throw a bucket of water over them in the wings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Ah - that must be what the "drip traps" in the wings must be for - so you can realistically soak the actors before their rainy-day entrance - or should this be in the bad, bad joke forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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