 |
A new sophisticated rain system has been developed to create more realistic rain for movies, TV series and commercials.
It overcomes many of the problems associated with making rain in the past. The new, patented Oscillating Rain Head technology, provided by DTFX, gives full coverage of the area so that there are no empty patches or holes in the middle of a shot, like there are with the currently popular “spinning heads.”
David Trethewey (widely known in the industry as DT), the owner of DTFX, says that the smallest area covered is about 15 metres in diameter, more than the 10 metres generally offered.
“At the same time, because it is so efficient, it uses as little as one seventh of the water (54 litres/min as opposed to 363 litres/min), so it is very environmentally friendly. It is also easily expandable to 30 metres in diameter with the addition of modular sections. It is easily changeable from heavy “storm” droplets to “misting” rain, and can be configured to cover a 30 metre x 15 metre area, which is good for street scenes. So in just about every sense it is superior to the current most popular systems.”
Instead of just spinning, the rain head oscillates from side to side as it spins, which creates a randomised pattern that fills the area, as DT describes.
“The oscillating head is different in its mode of operation. It adds a third axis of movement, which serves to fill the centre of shot. It is very adaptable to differing filming requirements and it’s very economical on water use. It also requires less pumping force, which reduces power needs.
“The technology itself needs a good rig to carry it, so I have developed a system to provide the greatest flexibility for film use, with modular sections that can be easily added. We are continuing to refine the rig and we will soon add a radio remote function to individually control multiple heads. Eventually we expect to be able to cover any area you might need by adding more sections to the rig. Then the only limits will be the director’s imagination and budget.”
“I think it will make a real difference for the local industry to have access to this type of technology. It is really clever and a step forward.”
DTFX has used the rig already on the film: The Square, written by and starring Joel Edgerton, directed by Nash Edgerton and shot by Brad Shield.
“Rain can be an important mood creator. Nash was very keen from the outset to have rain as an important element in the film and this brand new technology came along just in time for us to develop it for “The Square”, adds DT.
“The rig has been a big success. The major difference is that we get full coverage of the shot area. Coupled with ease of use, expandability and complete variability of droplet size, it allowed us to shoot scenes over areas of around 30 x 15 metres that in the past would have been cost prohibitive on a show of this budget.”
DT is also working on the next generation of the rig.
“I’m currently investigating the possibility of attaching the rig to a folding boom arm system, mounted to a truck, similar to what you see on building sites for concrete. This will allow us to dispense with the need for a separate crane for most normal shooting situations and reduce set-up and re-positioning times.
DTFX also provides the full range of physical and mechanical in-camera effects, such as snow, wind, atmos, explosions and pyrotechnics, breakaways, and stunt, camera and effects rigs.
DT started in the film industry in 1979 and has worked on around 80 feature films. He has been providing effects services for 20 years. His company has provided effects for a number of local and US productions such as The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, Superman Returns, Jindabyne and Japanese Story. Additionally, his company has worked on over a thousand commercials.
He believes that filmmakers are starting to swing back to using physical effects again after a first flirtation with CGI.
“People have explored the boundaries of computer animated effects and realise that in many cases you get a far more organic and complex result when you film a live effect, particularly with water and fire. The interplay between real elements is always going to be more rich and deep than can be created in a computer. Also, with physical effects the final costs are often more controllable. And blowing something up for real is always going to be more fun.
“That said, Physical Effects and CGI are complimentary. People sometimes see them as being in competition with each other, but they are two different, separate disciplines that tie very nicely together to make it possible to create illusions that were previously not achievable.
“The Lord of The Rings could not have been made without CGI, but there were a lot of physical effects involved in that as well, and that combination of the two types of effects is common for most films of any budget these days”
No doubt his new rain rig will be very popular with productions in the future, since convincing water is always hard to create in CGI.
This site is owned by David Trethewey: Special Effects Supervisor, Copyright DTFX Pty Ltd, 2010. Site last updated: 12 April 2010.
DTFX.NET is powered by VISION
|
|
|||