Shooting in the rain

[Brandon Barnts]

We just got stuck shooting in the rain all day Monday.  I was comfortably dry under a pop tent, but my boom op and microphones were getting rained on.  We stuck a bag over the wind screen to protect the mic, but the big drips made a lot of noise on the plastic.  How do you guys protect you're gear in the rain?

[Guest tourtelot]

Hogshair?  I get it from my friendly Efx man.  If fact, I have a gigantic roll in my shop taking up too much room. Stop by and get a hunk. Make a tent to fit over you zeppelin and tie it on with zip ties.  Use the plastic garbage bag to cover your mic when you are not shooting (and your boomman if he doesn't have a rain suit!)  Sorry, boommen get wet; one of the down sides to being a key player in a glamorous business<g>.

[Simon Paine]

Is there another (Generic) name for hogshair ? Or maybe you have a picture of the stuff ? is it that stuff that kind of looks like furnace filter material ?

[Guest tourtelot]

It IS furnace filter.  You can get a roll at Grainger's.

D.

[Brandon Barnts]

Thanks, I'll try to find some.

[tim apter]

in features, what do you guys as production mixers aim for in the rain - surely that dialogue isnt usable sometimes right? do you go for guides?

i always freak out a bit when it rains here in South Africa on shoot, im curious how you guys take it..

[Jeff Wexler]

in features, what do you guys as production mixers aim for in the rain - surely that dialogue isnt usable sometimes right? do you go for guides?

i always freak out a bit when it rains here in South Africa on shoot, im curious how you guys take it..

As with everything else, usually there is no way to predict in advance whether the dialog will be useable in a rain scene. There are a number of things, obviously, that contribute to the potential of getting useable or un-useable dialog. The first question is whether this is shooting in the rain because it is really raining, or whether it is a dramatic staged scene where the production is making rain. The number one cause for having to loop (ADR replacement of the dialog) in rain scenes that I have done, has been the methods by which the Effects team makes the rain. All too often the dialog would have played just fine were it not for the very loud and relentless sound of the pumpers, the water truck, placed close to the set so as to have the necessary water pressure to feed the rain towers. If the Effects people can tie into a local fire hydrant and feed the rain towers (which also need to be of a quiet design) you may have a good shot at getting good dialog. I have done many rain scenes with an open mic (mic on a fishpole, in a windscreen, with rain protection --- more to discuss later) and also with wireless lavs, and more recently with both techniques. As long as the microphone or microphones can be protected in a manner which does not destroy the dialog, the same rules apply as to a "dry" scene --- if it IS boomable, the boom mic will sound better, and if it is possible to use both techniques, boom mic and lavs, this is a good idea. There is often the desire to make the final determination BEFORE you even start shooting (lots of people running around and declaring "we're going to have to loop this, right?" and much of this chatter is designed to cover both ignorance and a lack of preparation from some of the other departments. You should not give up too quickly unless it is obvious, based on prior experience, that a guide track is all that can be had for the scene.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

[tim apter]

thats a great answer, thanks. ive never shot with rain towers, only a smaller rain rig that was actually used indoors, but i understand the weakness in automatically assuming you'll need to loop simply to save yourself the hassle of trying hard to get usable stuff.

that is often a temptation, but i know for a fact that when in post (at least if you're in a position to record and do the post too, like me) i always regret not going all out to get that dialogue, regardless of the conditions.

thanks jeff.. enjoying this forum.

[John Gilman]

One odd thing that sometimes helps. I found that you can treat a spare windscreen foam with spray-on Scotchgard repellant. This will help the foam repel any water that falls on it without having any significant effect on the sound. Needs to be done ahead of time so that it can dry. The mic is a lot less likely to get wet. My experience with hogshair, also known as rubberized hair is that it very quickly becomes waterlogged. With heavy rain, it needs to be shaken out after each take or the water starts dripping through it. It does quiet down the sound of the rain and keeps it from directly hitting the mic and making awful noises.

Obviously YMMV

--

John Gilman