Why are the streets wet?

Funky

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I've noticed that most (if not all) of the street scenes in movies, mostly at night, the streets are wet?

Ummmm....why...?
 
It's an old trick. The wet street reflects light, it looks prettier than plain dry asphalt. They wet down the street, whether there's any justification for it or not.
 
Bugs the crap out of me too.

As an ex-photographer talking out his wazzoo, a dry street looks dirty, and I bet if you checked with a light meter a dry street would bounce more light. A wet street has greater saturation, and would make the subjects pop.
 
I want to know why in movies every sporting event, especially outdoors, seems to take place at night in an un-lit stadium ?

The football game from 'Last Boy Scout' comes to mind. It looked so dark you would have thought it was a pick-up game on a field with no lights but most football games I've been to it's so well lit it's brighter then regular sunlight in the middle of summer.

I caught 'Swimfan' (a guilty pleasure of mine) the other day on cable and noticed during the swim meets none of the indoor facility lights seemed to be working because it was as well lit as a nightclub.
 
why does every movie with a time limit thing show something like the last 10 seconds(or 3) and then continue with 30 seconds of film before they show the 1. 0. ....BOOM!
 
One things that bugs me in Smallvilles hospital is that it is not lit at all, Every single room is almost pitchblack. How can anyone work there and do a good job when operating on people? It bugs me SO much...
hospitalu.jpg
 
Ah, the "wet down". I hate it when a director can´t decide in advance what to shoot.

Last year we shot a scene in Vienna for a historical movie, and all of a sudden the director wanted to show more of the street. It takes a while to create a wet down on a street area of approx. 500 sqmtrs. when the local fire department isn´t informed and can´t come on short notice and you´ve only got four watering cans...

In the end the street stayed dry, except for when the horses lost something...
 
It's so you don't see the empty seats with all the crowd extras they didn't pay for. When ever you see a crowd, like in FERRIS BUELLER, or something, they're shooting at a real game.

I want to know why in movies every sporting event, especially outdoors, seems to take place at night in an un-lit stadium ?

The football game from 'Last Boy Scout' comes to mind. It looked so dark you would have thought it was a pick-up game on a field with no lights but most football games I've been to it's so well lit it's brighter then regular sunlight in the middle of summer.

I caught 'Swimfan' (a guilty pleasure of mine) the other day on cable and noticed during the swim meets none of the indoor facility lights seemed to be working because it was as well lit as a nightclub.
 
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