Dry for wet

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 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 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. It is also used in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when Frodo falls into the Dead Marshes.
• In the underwater scooter scene in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.
• In A.I. Artificial Intelligence the technique is 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 stuntwork.
• The exterior shots of the submerged Red October in the film The Hunt for Red October were also achieved using this technique, with a model hung by wires that could be tilted and turned in three dimensions.
• The technique is used in many underwater scenes in The Spirit.
• 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 which 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.

See also

• Day for night