Motion Picture Set Pool

an artificial pool for simulated and superimposed cinematic shots. Permanent realistic motion picture pools are equipped with a painted backdrop of the horizon 12 to 15 m high and 30 to 40 m wide, placed 20 to 40 m behind the back wall of the pool, or they are located on the seashore with the natural horizon for a background. The rear wall of such cinematic pools is 40 to 50 m long, the front wall is 20 to 30 m long, the distance between them is 30 to 40 m, and the water depth in the foreground reaches 2 m. During shooting, the pool is continuously refilled with water, while the excess pours off through a spout in the rear wall a few centimeters below the water level into a reservoir or well. The front and side walls of the pool are considerably higher than the level of the water and prevent the water from spilling out while shooting scenes of “storms” and such phenomena.

Special equipment is added to the pool to simulate various elemental phenomena, such as turbulence, rippling, and big waves. There are wave-makers, wind-makers, and waterspouters. During shooting, artificial smoke, powerful lighting equipment, and other means may be used to obtain particular effects. The cameras are mounted on a platform above the water, or (for shooting at water level) on a tower sunk in the water.

For shooting close-ups or medium shots of actors in ocean scenes, a temporary pool is set up in a pavilion. For the background, painted backdrops are used, or film of a seascape shot and developed earlier is projected onto a special screen. The size of the pool set up in a pavilion is limited by the size of the screen and by the area of the pavilion itself.