Dry for wet is a
film technique in which smoke, colored filters, and/or lighting effects are used to simulate a character being underwater while filming on a dry stage. Fans and
slow motion
Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...
can be used to make hair or clothing appear to float in the current. In recent years, it has become possible to digitally add rising bubbles in
post-production, heightening the realism.
Examples
* The underwater scenes featuring the monster in the original ''
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
'' (with this footage reused in
the Americanization that followed two years later) were filmed with a full aquarium between the camera and
Haruo Nakajima
was a Japanese actor best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original ''Godzilla'' (1954) until ''Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). He also played various other giant monsters in '' kaiju'' films, including ''Mothra ...
, the actor playing Godzilla.
* Guillermo Del Toro's 2017 film ''
The Shape of Water
''The Shape of Water'' is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer ...
'' uses this technique throughout, the first instance being the introduction sequence of the film.
* The technique is in use in the final scene of ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' when
Sam sinks into the
River Anduin
The geography of Middle-earth encompasses the physical, political, and moral geography of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, strictly a continent on the planet of Arda but widely taken to mean the physical world, and ''Eä'', all ...
. It is also used in ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' when
Frodo
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, and one of the protagonists in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Frodo is a hobbit of the Shire who inherits the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo Baggins, described familiarly a ...
falls into the
Dead Marshes
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to ...
.
* In the underwater scooter scene in ''
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life''.
* In ''
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' (also known as ''A.I.'') is a 2001 American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay by Spielberg and screen story by Ian Watson were based on the 1969 short story "Supertoys Last All ...
'' the technique was used for the scenes with the submerged attractions at Coney Island.
* Many underwater scenes in ''
For Your Eyes Only'' were shot this way due to a medical condition actress
Carole Bouquet suffered that precluded her from doing any underwater stunt work.
* The exterior shots of the submerged
Red October
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
in the film ''
The Hunt for Red October
''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutt ...
'' were also achieved using this technique, with a model hung by wires that could be tilted and turned in three dimensions.
* The technique was used in many underwater scenes in ''
The Spirit
The Spirit is a fictional masked crimefighter created by cartoonist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940, as the main feature of a 16-page, tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book insert distributed in the Sunday edition of Register and Trib ...
''.
* Much of the model (and occasional puppet) work for Gerry Anderson's ''
Stingray'' TV series was done using the technique (''Stingray'' was a submarine, so many shots showed it underwater). Many scenes were filmed through a narrow fish tank containing small fish that would appear swimming in front of the model; bubbles could also be created in the tank to complete the illusion with no post-production effort required.
* Scenes in the Live-Action DC Superhero film ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
'' have purportedly been shot using this technique.
Hollywood Reporter - James Wan on shooting water scenes for Aquaman
/ref>
See also
*Day for night
Day for night is a set of cinematic techniques used to simulate a night scene while filming in daylight. It is often employed when it is too difficult or expensive to actually shoot during nighttime. Because both film stocks and digital image s ...
References
Cinematic techniques
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