All About Rain Videography

Is there anything more epic than a fight scene in the rain? Rain videography can elevate your scene to the next level. Think of the climactic battle in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” where the Uruk-hai attempt to invade Helm’s Deep. Or the showdown between Neo and Agent Smith in “The Matrix Revolutions.”

Image via New Line Cinema 

These moments wouldn’t hit the same without the pouring rain, drenching the characters and creating thousands of shimmering droplets. And it’s not just battle sequences; even romantic scenes feel more powerful when set against a backdrop of rain. “The Notebook” anybody?

A kissing scene in the rain so iconic it became the movie’s poster! 

Rain can even become a character in some films or TV shows. Take AMC’s/Netflix’s “The Killing,” for example. Set in Rain City, aka Seattle, the show’s rainy, overcast setting creates an entirely different mood and atmosphere that wouldn’t exist in a sunnier location. In fact, the Los Angeles Times had to point out that Seattle isn’t as rainy as the show depicts. 

Image via AMC/Netflix 

However, filming in the rain is incredibly difficult for various reasons. In this article, we’ll discuss the challenges of shooting in the rain and discuss how you can incorporate rain into your productions.

The challenges of filming in rain

Okay, let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Unfortunately, it’s not just a case of saying, “Well, you’re going to get wet.”  Filming in the rain involves a lot of hard work. You know all of those films and TV shows we just referenced? Every rain scene within those shots was artificially created, even the ones filmed in rainy Seattle. 

“The biggest challenge with rain is making it look good and having enough of it. Anytime you have rain on an exterior, it does take more time to get it right” - Peter Wunstorf - Director of Photography on “The Killing.”

Look at this still image from a 24 frames per second shot.

Image via Lewis McGregor.

What kind of weather do you think it is? Gloomy? Overcast? A little drizzle? This was filmed during a torrential downpour. But on screen, it doesn’t look like heavy rain at all, does it?

That’s because it was filmed under natural rainfall. And due to the camera’s frame rate, which in most narrative filmmaking is 24 frames per second, combined with the size of natural raindrops and how fast they travel along with ambient soft light, real rain is nearly invisible to the camera in most cases. Don’t believe us? Check out this video from another rain-drenched city, London.

In the video, you see citizens taking cover under shelter, if not passing by with an umbrella getting pelted by the rain, cars whizzing by with their windscreen wipers at full speed, fast droplets of rain causing puddles to splash, but the actual falling rain itself? It barely registers on the camera other than the occasional blur. This is why nearly every film's rain sequence is created using an artificial rain rig.

Image via Noah on Paramount Pictures 

With a controlled rain setup, filmmakers can increase rainfall frequency and ensure droplet size is larger, making them far more visible on camera. But that’s only part of the equation. Have you ever noticed that rain sequences are often set at night? Think about it.

Let’s list some of the most iconic rain scenes in film:

• “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”  (The Battle of Helm’s Deep)
• “The Matrix Revolutions” (Neo vs. Agent Smith)
• “The Truman Show” (the moment he discovers the rain is artificial)
• “Spider-Man” (the upside-down kiss)
• “The Shawshank Redemption” (Andy’s breakout)
• “Jurassic Park” (the T-Rex entrance)
• “Singin’ in the Rain” (Gene Kelly’s legendary performance)
• “Blade Runner” (the Tears in the Rain monologue)

And what do they all have in common? They take place at night. Now, of course, I’m sure you’re trying to think about some rain sequences that take place in the day, and there’s likely to be a good number of examples, not all rain scenes are set after dark, but most are. Why?

Well, with real-life rain in a daylight sequence, there’s usually no direct sunlight. The thick, grey clouds block most of the natural light, creating a soft, overcast look. The lack of direct light makes rain even harder to see on camera.

In nighttime sequences, filmmakers can use lights to help make the rain visible. However, they must use a specific method: backlighting. 

As noted in this behind-the-scenes featurette on Noah:

“As Oscar-winning special effects expert Bert Dalton told us, the old adage for filming special effects is: "Front light snow and backlight rain." This is because, unless rain is backlit, it's very hard to read on camera.” 

The Requirements for Proper Rain Filming

Filming in the rain is already challenging. To make the rain visible on screen, you'll need an artificial rain rig and powerful backlighting. And let’s not forget a connection to the water mains to supply the rig, which might cost more than that new camera you've been eyeing.

Throughout this article, there are numerous behind-the-scenes videos featuring filmmakers from feature films and major TV productions discussing the challenges of filming in the rain. The core sentiment from these crew members? It’s incredibly difficult. Logistically, a rain sequence can range from a manageable 3/10 difficulty all the way to a high 9/10, depending on the scale.

Some of the biggest challenges include:

• Bringing in condor cranes to support the rain system.
• Coordinating with the city or county to access the water mains.
• Additional lighting needed just to make the rain visible, which in turn requires extra safety crews. 
• Complex continuity issues with the cast, props, and set getting wet. 
• Health issues with the crew and gear getting wet. 
• Sound issues, since heavy rain often drowns out dialogue, require ADR in post-production.

If filming in the rain were easy, every production would be doing it. But as seen in these behind-the-scenes breakdowns, the logistical nightmare of a rain shoot is often one of the most complex and resource-intensive sequences a filmmaker can attempt. 

There is good news, however. We don’t expect you to hire a professional rain rig, which can cost thousands of dollars and require a full crew to operate. Thankfully, there are DIY alternatives. Several great video tutorials show how to build your artificial rain setup using just PVC pipes and a garden hose connection.

Of course, since a homemade rain rig is not of the same scale as a Hollywood production, your shots will be limited to tighter frames, like mid-shots or close-ups. In contrast, feature films can use large rain rigs to cover entire streets, allowing for wide shots where the rain looks natural across the frame. In this instance, if you build a DIY rain rig, we would advise filming still on a rainy night to help facilitate background wetness without hosing down other areas of the scene.

In regards to the lighting, the key here is to ensure the light is always behind the rain itself. 

Image via Tom Antos’ rain machine tutorial. 

Avoid placing the light too close to the frame's edge or making it overly intense, as harsh lighting can make the rain look unnatural. Equally important is ensuring that the light illuminating the rain doesn’t spill onto the actors' backs; this can resemble sunlight, which feels entirely out of place in a rainy exterior shot. 

And while it’s unlikely that your lights will be positioned super close to your rain rig, it’s important to remember that water and electricity are a dangerous combination. Even if you’re using battery-powered LED lights, there’s a specific term you’ll want to check for, weatherproofing and IP rating for wet conditions.

An IP rating is used to identify which lights can withstand rain, and these are the most common IP ratings for lighting equipment:

• IP 54 is dust and water-resistant. (Rain)
• IP 65 is dust-tight and watertight - Not submersible
• IP 67 is dust-tight and waterproof - Submersible up to 1M
• IP 68 is dust-tight and waterproof - Submersible up to 10M for 30 minutes

So, for example, if you’re using a light with an IP rating of 65 on a windy night, and some water from your DIY rain rig sprays onto the LED, you should be fine. However, it’s still important to ensure that all cables are properly covered if you’re using wired lights.

Equipment considerations

The next important factor to consider is your equipment. More and more mid-range cameras are becoming weatherproof, a luxury feature previously reserved for higher-end models. However, you should know that weatherproof and waterproof are different.

A waterproof camera or lens can be submerged up to a certain depth before becoming unsustainable. A weatherproof camera or lens is built to resist rain, snow, dust, and other elements, but limitations remain.

Image via Lewis McGregor.

It shouldn't be an issue if the camera gets wet but only collects a few droplets on the LCD screen or microphone ports. However, if you’re filming under artificial rain, where the volume and intensity of the water are far more significant, your camera’s weatherproofing may not hold up.

As such, you’ll need to invest in a rain cover/coat for your camera to protect your equipment.  

Several manufacturers, including Portabrace, Camrade, and Sachtler, produce professional rain covers for cameras. Most of these rain covers are designed specifically for a particular camera model, ensuring that the utilities within that specific camera can be accessed.

Of course, the downside is that these rain covers are expensive; as seen in the screenshot above, you could be looking at $150 or more for an item that you might only use a handful of times per year.

If you're on a tight budget, you can find affordable rainproof camera covers on sites like Amazon. While they’re a simple solution, they can provide basic protection in a pinch.

Again, this is strictly a last resort. It won’t guarantee full protection but will provide temporary rain coverage, especially for light rain or short filming sessions. However, water can still seep in, so it’s not something you want to rely on for professional shoots. If possible, invest in a proper rain cover to ensure your camera remains fully protected.

Digital rain & rain overlays

Finally, let's discuss digital rain or rain overlays. Compositing software like After Effects has default templates for applying digital rain to a shot.

In most instances, you want to avoid this. Outside of professional computer-generated rain, which has the correct depth, blur intensity, and interaction with light and the surroundings, you’re not getting decent-looking digital rain from an overlay. Unlike dust overlays, which can naturally blend into a scene, rain overlays look flat and artificial.  

However, Film Riot has produced a tutorial demonstrating how they’ve been able to composite a rain sequence into a shot using overlays within After Effects. We have to say, it looks pretty good.

That said, the level of skill required and the time invested in a single shot may outweigh the benefits of simply rewriting the scene to take place during a sunny spell. 

However, If you want to add a playful rain overlay to your video presentation, you do not need advanced video compositing software. The WeVideo editor includes various rain overlays that simplify the process.

How to add a rain overlay in WeVideo

Ensure that your timeline is set up with your primary media in place, and then add a new video track (you could also call this track “rain” in order to keep yourself organized (a very important trait for an efficient editor).

Next, open the video panel and search for  "rain overlay". It’s important to include "overlay" in the search; otherwise, you may get standard rain videos, which are not what we need.

Since WeVideo has a built-in chroma key tool, we recommend using the rain overlays generated on a green screen, as they offer greater ease of use. Find the correct overlay and drag it onto the "rain" track.

Click the rain overlay, then select Edit (keyboard shortcut E). Next, select Keying. Use the color picker to select the green within the preview monitor. We recommend adjusting the keying parameters to achieve the best results.

At this point, the rain overlay should be composited, but we suggest slightly lowering the opacity to lock in the effect further. You can do this by selecting the transform box.  

This lets you quickly enhance your presentation with realistic rain effects within WeVideo’s editor.

Final thoughts 

“Making rain is one of the most difficult things you can do in a picture.” 

This is a quote from 1st AD Nilo Otero from the behind-the-scenes featurette on Inception’s rain sequence. 

Otero has been the 1st AD (assistant director) on nearly every Christopher Nolan movie and for other legendary directors like Edward Zwick, Shane Black, and David Fincher. When someone of this caliber suggests that filming in the rain is difficult, it’s a suggestion to take seriously. 

And this is where we leave you.

Of course, we never want to discourage anyone from trying but filming in the rain presents significant challenges. Beyond the logistical issues of building a rain rig and organizing a night shoot, you must also account for the comfort and safety of your actors and crew, who will likely be soaked to the bone. 

If multiple takes are needed, duplicate costumes and reapply makeup may be required. Then there’s the temperature factor: If you’re using an artificial rain rig in winter, how long can you safely drench your cast and crew in freezing water before it becomes unsafe? 

As you can see, rain sequences are a serious filmmaking challenge. But with the video tutorials linked throughout this article, you can experiment with creating your rain machine and see if you’re up for the challenge! 

For hands-on filmmaking tips, dive into our Film School blog, where we cover everything from setting audio levels to decoding the finer details of cinematography.