Director
Creative or operational relevance to directing
Generates artificial snow — falling flakes from foam or paper, or ground cover from scatter material. Shot size determines the material choice: what reads in a wide shot looks fake in a close-up.
Snow in film involves multiple departments simultaneously. The falling variety comes from a machine that generates foam flakes or blows out cut paper. The lying variety is set dressing: scattering material, mats, on a large scale paper shreds or cellulose. Both must match, otherwise the falling snow will look different from the lying snow.
Distance Dictates Material
Foam flakes fall slowly and float — convincing in a wide shot, immediately recognizable as soap bubbles in a close-up, and they dissolve on warm skin. Paper flakes fall heavier and hold up to close-ups, but are too coarse for wide shots. Most productions work with both and switch depending on the shot size.
On Set
- Backlight, like with rain. Without an edge behind the flakes, the snowfall is barely visible in the image.
- Wind is essential. Vertically falling snow looks artificial. A light wind machine from a slight angle to the side provides the movement you expect.
- Continuity is the expensive part. Lying snow gets trampled with every take. Anyone who doesn't plan for an area to reapply it will shoot the scene backward — from the last step to the first.
From the crafts
Perspectives
Producer
Importance in production planning and execution
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Quiz
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „Schneemaschine"?
2. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?