How movie makers add 'fake snow' into scenes

Weather is often a factor that comes into play when moviemakers shoot outdoor scenes - weather conditions can act as both a help and a hindrance on production, depending on the film. There are instances when scenes are shot in locations with extreme weather, such as snowy peaks and deserts.

Filmmakers depend on certain weather conditions while filming, which comes with many challenges, as one film production company explained to AccuWeather Video Producer Taliya Riesterer.

"Wind is probably my number one nemesis when it comes to film," founder and creative director for Dark Mind Productions Pablo Lopez told Riesterer.

Dealing with the weather is a crucial part of filming, especially for smaller productions with a lower budget, less special equipment and a smaller crew.

Lopez, whose video production company is based in central Pennsylvania, says weather can greatly impact not only shooting but post-production as well.

"We have actors who have to speak, who have to give these monologues and dialogue and interact with one another, but it's very hard to interact with someone when you hear the wind go through the microphones," Lopez said.

It's important to know how to mitigate wind so it can save time in post-production and editing.

(iStock / Getty Images Plus / Anna Frank)

Lopez says he depends on weather apps like AccuWeather that show current radar so he and his crew can stay up to date on the weather conditions. He also says that having a backup plan for your backup is necessary when filming outdoors.

Weather-sealed cameras and equipment are used during a film shoot to protect gear from rain damage.

Rain can very easily damage camera, audio and related equipment. When producers want to shoot in the rain they use rain machines, which are long hoses with small holes to allow water to drip out. Typically, one is used right in front of the camera to simulate rain while a smaller one used on the actor.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

Even sunny days, which may at first sound like the ideal pattern for filming, can pose challenges. In this case, the biggest dilemma is diffusing any harsh lighting.

"When you have a light source millions of miles away it's kind of hard to dim it so we can throw up things like scrims and diffusion flags, which help cut the intensity of the light," Lopez said.

Autumn is Lopez's favorite season to film in because of how the colors look on-screen, and as with most filmmakers, he prefers to film in overcast weather.

"Think of clouds as a huge diffusion sheet over us and it blocks, a lot of the sun's lights and intensity, so it's something that helps us because it allows us to bring less equipment to shoots, but it creates a more natural look on the skin," Lopez said.

A news media video camera documents flood damage. (Image via iStock / Getty Images Plus / shaunl)

There are times he will use special-effects graphics to achieve the look he wants, as in the festival award-winning short, Oblivion.

"We actually had to implement some fake snow with overlays so we captured snow on a day that it was snowing and then we were able to overlay that image on top of the video to give it more of an ethereal feel," Lopez said.

And in other cases, directors have to work with whatever Mother Nature throws toward a production. Award-winning movie director Steven Spielberg decided to include footage from Hurricane Iniki's torrential downpours in the original Jurassic Park movie since it just so happened to slam Hawaii during the filming of the blockbuster hit.

Iniki, Hawaii's most costly hurricane on record, also interrupted filming and forced Spielberg to alter the movie's production schedule.

Weather can also impact the wardrobe used in a film, as actor Stephen Tobolowsky recently discussed in an interview with AccuWeather. Tobolowsky famously portrayed insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

Tobolowsky credited the cold weather during the outdoor scenes of Groundhog Day, which were set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but shot in Woodstock, Illinois, with helping the film maintain a timeless look.

"One of the reasons I think the film has endured time is because it was so cold. Everybody is wearing winter clothing," Tobolowsky said. "They're wearing puffer vests, scarves, sweaters, hats, toboggan hats, big overcoats, like Bill Murray, and the style of those hasn't changed that much."

The actor suggested that had the script called for the movie to take place during a warmer time of year, fashion that has long gone out of style might've been more obvious to viewers decades later.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.