# Rain Effect.



## dansmith08 (Jun 5, 2010)

Hello all 

I am currently running a 'Night at the Musicals' show at our local High School, due to our last show being cancelled because of funds. At the end of Act One, I am planning on doing 'Singin' In the Rain' from 'Singin' In the Rain.' And to be honest, what would the song be without rain.

Therefore, I want it to rain, and I don't want rain behind a window, or a projection or whatever, I want - real rain 

The size of the stage available is about 16ft x 10ft and the stage is about 12 ft high. I don't want to spend an absolute fortune, but I want it to look good! How would be the best way to do this?


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## kendal69 (Jun 5, 2010)

To do it the cheapest run a 3/4" PVC along the front of the stage up on the truss with holes drilled every 1-2-or 3 inched depending on the look. 

Hook up a recirculating pump so as the water drops into a trough below the pvc it it pumped back up with a correct size water pump to give you the look you need .

You can run the pump to your dimmer and either tap the rain or let it flow.


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## Les (Jun 5, 2010)

kendal69 said:


> You can run the pump to your dimmer and either tap the rain or let it flow.



Everything sounded real solid 'till this last part. The little voice in my head is saying "pump motor on dimmer = bad idea". Also, it would be a good idea to have that pump on a GFCI outlet.

Now you could run the pump through your rack if you have a dedicated relay module - not a dimmer parked at full or set to 'non-dim', but a true relay module.

You can get a standalone GFCI device from many home improvement stores to go between the pump and the relay pack, such as the Shock Buster found at Lowe's.


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## derekleffew (Jun 5, 2010)

dansmith08, perhaps the wiki entry Rain and Water effects, or CB search results for rain effects.


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## dansmith08 (Jun 5, 2010)

Okai, I think there could be something in the suggestion from 'Kendal69.' The only thing is, I want the actors to get wet, and I mean - really wet, as if they have been in a downpour! And also, would there be anyway, to make the rain fall in several places rather than just the one, so it doesn't just look like a giant shower head?


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## MPowers (Jun 5, 2010)

Here's a few Ideas on how to do rain. Remember, as I state in the article, getting rain ON stage is the easy part. Getting it OFF is the hard part.! 
Water on Stage 
Hope this helps. 

Michael Powers, Project Manager
ETCP Certified Rigger - Theatre
Central Lighting & Equipment Inc.
675 NE 45th Place, Des Moines, Iowa, 50313


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## museav (Jun 6, 2010)

dansmith08 said:


> I am currently running a 'Night at the Musicals' show at our local High School, due to our last show being cancelled because of funds. At the end of Act One, I am planning on doing 'Singin' In the Rain' from 'Singin' In the Rain.' And to be honest, what would the song be without rain.
> 
> Therefore, I want it to rain, and I don't want rain behind a window, or a projection or whatever, I want - real rain
> 
> The size of the stage available is about 16ft x 10ft and the stage is about 12 ft high. I don't want to spend an absolute fortune, but I want it to look good! How would be the best way to do this?




dansmith08 said:


> Okai, I think there could be something in the suggestion from 'Kendal69.' The only thing is, I want the actors to get wet, and I mean - really wet, as if they have been in a downpour! And also, would there be anyway, to make the rain fall in several places rather than just the one, so it doesn't just look like a giant shower head?


Given the "at our local high school", "At the end of Act One", "our last show being cancelled because of funds" and "I don't want to spend an absolute fortune", I think the first step may be to consider what is realistic in the situation. You may want it to actually rain all over the stage but that may not be practical from multiple perspectives, not the least of which may be how to deal with the potential risk of someone slipping and being injured on a wet stage (not just the performers but also the crew trying to get ready for Act Two) and getting the high school to allow something like that on their stage in their facility. A 'rain curtain' as was already suggested may be a more practical approach and pretty much avoids the issues with the mic. So before getting caught up in details like addressing the mic, you might want to first get the overall approach better defined.


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## ruinexplorer (Jun 10, 2010)

You will find that the reason most people don't do real rain and opt at best for the rain curtain is that this is not an easy or cheap undertaking. As stated, there are safety risks for both electrical and slip hazard. There is also the pain of quickly cleaning up the mess. But also, water will get everywhere even when trying to contain it. How are you going to waterproof your set? Do you have ground row electrics? What happens when the water seeps into the stagefloor? This can be especially bad if you have a fiberboard covered stage.


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## Chris Chapman (Jun 10, 2010)

A great "dry" rain effect is to create a curtain with monofilament line. Each line is tied at a slight angle so they aren't perpendicular to the stage. (Unless you want rain that is falling straight down.) Focus ellipsodials on the monofilament curtain with a large break-up gobo in a rotater will give the illusion of rain falling.


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## Studio (Jun 10, 2010)

Just remember that water left on stage floor = boards expand = large 3" bump in floor until replaced (not that I would know)


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## jungle16jim (Jun 16, 2010)

Also, remember that you'll need to backlight the water. The scene is at night and we found that the audience could hear the rain, feel the rain, and see the effect of the rain, but could not see the rain until it was lit from behind or the side. Strange but true.


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