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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Wetting Streets

Matthew J

Matthew J

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Hey guys, does anyone have experience with wetting streets? I have a shoot coming up that's at night on an airport tarmac and want to wet it down, but one of my big questions is how often am I going to have to wet it down? I will be shooting right outside of Atlanta, and it says the yearly avg for the area is 69F day, 47F night, so evaporation I don't think is going to be a big issue. If I get a sprayer truck it should just take something like 10 minutes to cover something the size of a football field, right?
 
Any chance of a deal with the airport fire service?
 
Special Effects Unlimited of Hollywood has tons of this stuff -- water truck rental, rain towers, the works:

http://www.specialefxunltd.com/seu_013.htm

This has to be done carefully, since the water effect on the ground has to be consistent shot-to-shot, they can't run out of water in case the shoot goes all night, and they can't lay down so much water that it starts to overload the sewer system. You really need an expert to do this right.

I've always believed that Michael Mann was the first to get this idea in his 1981 movie Thief, which has a lot of visual looks that I think had a huge visual influence on the films of the decades that followed -- particularly the colored gels, strong backlights, high contrast, and so on. That look continued quite a bit in Miami Vice a few years later and has been imitated for decades.
 
you could probably talk also with the local department, g'ogia firefighters can keep your street wet.
 
Listen to Marc and get the proper water truck with the right sprayers. You don't want a couple guys trying to drag hoses all over the place. You'll also need to source a hydrant nearby to fill up the truck. Depending on the bylaws where you live you might need a permit to tap a hydrant but the truck operator should be able to walk you through that.
 
Construction companies have water spray trucks; typically used for dust control on work sites.
 
Definitely go with a sprayer truck and make sure you have access to a nearby hydrant. Construction guys are pros. At that temp during the day, it will still change reflectivity quickly during the day. Less so at night. Good luck!
 
Airport fire departments are likely using ARFF: Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting equipment. Those are specialized, custom purpose trucks.
The water carried on those trucks is there to be mixed with stabilizers and solvents to control aviation fuel events. Water alone is not effective controlling 2500 degree fires.

If you want to try your local volunteer or paid departments, be sure that someone checks with the city or town to ensure that you don't start a scandal (taxpayer money / assets used for private...).
You may be able to negotiate a deal starting with good PR for the department. Credits are one option, but monetary donations go a long way (especially for the volunteer departments)...

Vance and Mark had it right with the suggesting Hertz as a resource.

For replenishment of the sprayer, using municipal water from a hydrant may not be an option without city approval.
A solution can be found via a water truck.
If you anticipate it can be a single "refill", check with swimming pool companies in the area.
If it is all at night and the truck can stay in one place, you can probably cut a great deal.

Extended over multiple days, you might want to rent a water truck so you don't need to pay for a driver on standby. Again, Hertz is a resource.
 
For the Atlanta area, Bob Shelley special effects does this all the time. He has a purpose built truck.

Hertz trucks in this area don't spread the water as evenly.

I have worked with and for Bob's company, and have hired them when I am a producer.

They can do this job properly, and will pass any TSA screening requirement. He may already personally know the airport personell

[h=1]Bob Shelley's Special Effects International Inc[/h]550 Marksmen Ct,
Fayetteville, GA 30214
(770) 681-0889
 
I guess it depends on the ground, if it is based on concrete it might need initially more water, but it will hold the water longer than tar/asphalt.

The temperature is certainly important, but how much wind (or none) you have is another key factor. Airports are normally wide open spaces.

If done well, the ground might cool off a little bit, so the better the initial watering, the longer the effect is given -- while you are shooting.

All the people suggesting a truck with the right equipment to get it onto the ground are spot on, from my point of view. If you need to spray again, you want to have it quickly done, as well as systematically. To have the crew waiting for the "garden-hose-specialists" ;o) is certainly not nice.

P.S.: construction companies use these trucks to keep the fresh new concrete wet, so it doesn't crack and allow later on for water to reach to the iron, etc. So they are designed for a very nice covering of the ground.
 
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