# Singin' in the Rain



## goboleko (Jan 26, 2009)

Greetings all,

I'm in my first year as tech director at a large public High School in Central Indiana. I'm currently doing a production of Peter Pan and dealing with the challenges of flight, but I'm trying to get my mind around the next big show coming up - "singin In the Rain."

The show is in early may, but I'm just hoping to get any and all advice that may be offered. It's a complicated show, regardless of the rain issue. What kind of drops did you use and where did you find them. Did you use a simple pipe in a pipe set up for a rain screen? Making it rains seems relatively simple, it's collecting the rain that seems a challenge. What about a suitable flooring surface that won't get tto slick when wet?

Any and all input would be welcome.

Thanks,

GOKO


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## lieperjp (Jan 26, 2009)

goboleko said:


> Greetings all,
> 
> I'm in my first year as tech director at a large public High School in Central Indiana. I'm currently doing a production of Peter Pan and dealing with the challenges of flight, but I'm trying to get my mind around the next big show coming up - "singin In the Rain."
> 
> ...



Do a search for "RAIN" - you'll find the search feature in the toolbar at the top of the page. There have been quite a few elaborate (and not so elaborate) systems that have been shared before. 

Since you're new(ish), here's a freebie:

http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/9453-best-method-rain-effect.html

That's just one of the few threads you can find. Don't be afraid to add on some questions to the older threads, either!


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## icewolf08 (Feb 7, 2009)

One interesting solution that I saw for rain I don't think has been mentioned on CB. The technique was as follows:

It is possible to purchase empty gelcaps (like those used for pills) in big boxes. Load the gelcaps into a tube with holes in it, much like a snow dispenser. Rotate or vibrate the tube so that the gelcaps fall through the holes at a rate you like. You will need something to catch the gelcaps, but there is no mess to clean, and you get a pretty realistic sound. They are also reusable. When lit from the side they glint like rain drops.


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## Footer (Feb 7, 2009)

This show is on my list that you might be better off renting theb building. There is a pretty good set on the east coast I believe. When I get home I can look that up.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JackMVHS (Feb 7, 2009)

My school did Singin' in the Rain last year, and although I must admit it wasn't the best set, it did have a pretty cool rain setup that generated plenty of complements.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the setup handy, but it is easy to understand.

We were playing around with strictly lighting ideas, but decided what the heck, lets use water, so we did. All we did was run a garden hose from a facet backstage up to a baton which had a soaker hose running along the length of it.



There wasn't a whole lot of pressure, so the water didn't spray, but formed water droplets on the hose that fell just like rain.

As for collecting the water, the original idea was to create a "sidewalk" with holes in it that drained off stage. We ended up using a black tarp to collect the water that couldn't be seen by the audience because of time restraints.

Good luck,
~JackMVHS


EDIT: Sorry for the large picture. Also to reduce slipping you could sprinkle the "sidewalk" with sawdust when painting, or add a non-slip surface.


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## Footer (Feb 7, 2009)

JackMVHS said:


> EDIT: Sorry for the large picture. Also to reduce slipping you could sprinkle the "sidewalk" with sawdust when painting, or add a non-slip surface.



Sand or silica when added to paint works extremly well to add traction. Sawdust will wear out over time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kurt (Nov 30, 2012)

*Making it rain... and making it visible*

So I'm a noob, and also my high school's lighting designer. We are doing singing in the rain next semester and the director is dead set on making it rain on stage. Ignoring the engineering behind that, I want to get some ideas on how to actually light the rain itself. I talked to some of the guys, one of them mentioned lighting it from above so that it would work like a fiber optic cable, but fiber optic cables get light from point A to point B without allowing any light off to the other 2 dimensions (and thus in theory the audience will never see said light). My current plan is to side light the rain, as I figure lighting it from the front would be completely useless. So far that is all I have. Thoughts?


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## AbelZyl (Dec 15, 2012)

*Re: Making it rain... and making it visible*

I've seen a pretty nice scene for rain. It just used a large video projection (I think they had rearscreen panels on either side of the set peices, and used Isadora). And a good rain sound effect. This works well enough for most people's imaginations. 

Of course, if you want splashing while they dance... well, bring on the water.

They didn't think of using a little fog coming in from the sides, but that would set the mood nicely too (if it was a hard rain).


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