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Special Section: Special Effects
The rain finally comes in 110 In
the Shade with Audra McDonald
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
Keeping It Real
Achieving the most true-to-life water
SFX can simply boil down to how well
you communicate, and work with, your
team. “The creative success of water
effects is collaboration,” Meeh stresses.
“Especially with lighting—you can provide
rain onstage, but if it is not lit well it
will be almost invisible. On An Inspector
Calls, designer Rick Fisher dedicated
hundreds of instruments specifically to
lighting the rain, and the results were
stunning. Scenic design also plays an
important role in a successful installation.
On the Broadway revival of Nine,
designer Scott Pask provided a beautifully
tiled watertight pool with fill and
drain ports—that made the effect possible
without flooding the trap room.”
You may have to reconfigure this
kind of complex wet effect numerous
times before it works. Your director
and designers should check eye lines
from every possible angle, and consider
dimension extra-carefully. “For
Broadway’s An Inspector Calls, the production
required a long duration, fullstage
rain effect,”says Meeh. “We supplied
rain in several textures to create
a feeling of density and depth.” Give
each member of your team the chance
to contribute their expertise and opinion
on how the SFX looks, start to finish,
for the best results.
Removing the Risk
Never cut corners when it comes to
safety.
“Water and electrticity don’t mix,”
stresses Wade. All equipment must be
safely grounded (consult with a good
electrican), and drill your cast and crew
in common sense (no grabbing a hot
mic with wet hands, please).
Overflow is also a concern, explains
Wade: “Make sure all catch basins have
a grating, and contain all water in the
areas for water—don’t allow water
onstage in a performer’s area, where
he or she might slip unexpectedly.”
Preparation is your best insurance
against problems.
“Simulate an accident such as a spillage,”
suggests Wade. Assign your crew
precise clean-up duties, and dry-run
them several times. This way, safety
will be second nature—and your group
can concentrate on making your SFX,
and show, terrific.
36 November 2009 • www.stage-directions.com