You wouldn’t think it, but even the UK needs rain effects.
For the majority productions requiring rain, our 2000 litre towable “Rain Trailer” is used to provide rain effects. The trailer comprises of two linked 1000 litre bowsers, an 8 bar petrol powered water pump and 6 x rain stands. All the required length of hoses and weights for the rain stand bases are transported on the towing vehicle. A petrol powered water pump is used to ensure that enough water volume and pressure is supplied to the rain stands.
When rain is required on the outside of windows, usually for scenes filmed inside with the need of rain running down the windows, we swap out the petrol pump for a high pressure electric pump. Using an electric pump will dramatically reduce the noise levels.
For larger areas that require much higher volumes of water, the need of cranes or cherry pickers or in locations where a usable hydrant is not available, water needs to be delivered from a much larger bowser, backed up with extra tanks if necessary.
For situations that require rain effects on moving vehicles, We have a special magnetic mounted rain system. This system is completely self contained as it uses a water supply from a small tank that is placed in the boot space, This allows the back seats to be free for cameras. The same system is also used on tracking vehicles, with the only change being the size of water tank that is used as we are not limited by the size.
All our rain systems use a range of interchangeable rain heads, allowing us to deliver anything from a light shower to monsoon.
For wetdowns, we have towable bowsers with integrated petrol pumps and a built in spray rig on the back for speedy wetdowns along roads.
Studio Rain
For customers requiring rain effects for commercial shoots filmed in studios, we have a dedication “Studio Rain” set up.
How we get the water
Quicksilver holds a licensed standpipe for extracting water from the mains supply for the entire United Utilities network. This covers Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria. This standpipe allows us to get the required water from dedicated hydrants all over the north west, we even have a special app that will pin point the nearest hydrant to your filming location. All our crew hold current CALM Network certification that is renewed annually. For any locations outside the North West of England, a standpipe licensed for that area can easily be obtained.
