Filmmakers in 'Noah' Used an iPad to Control a Huge Overhead Lighting and Rain System

The special effects crew behind the new Biblical epic Noah used a custom iPad app to control a huge overhead artificial rain and lighting rig that was capable of pouring 5,000 gallons per minute of water and turning night into day.

WIRED went behind the scenes to see how the FX team put it all together.

And on the eighth day, we got apps. Director Darren Aronofsky’s new film Noah is, of course, about the Biblical flood so massive it required one man to build an ark. Bringing such an apocalyptic deluge to the big screen was no easy task, and it required the special effects team behind the movie to, well, make it rain.

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Porco

64 months ago

I hope the iPad in question still works, 'cos Apple have ways of telling if there's been water damage...

Rating: 14 Votes

Technarchy

64 months ago

The iPad is so boring and just a toy. You can't do anything with it. Android tablets are so much more powerful because you can use widgets...

...or so I've heard.

iPads really have reshaped we interact with so many things. It was way ahead if it's time and still impresses.

Rating: 13 Votes

sshambles

64 months ago

"capable of pouring 5,000 gallons per minute of water"

Most environmentally destructive product Apple have helped create.
;)

Rating: 9 Votes

iSayuSay

64 months ago

At a glance, I thought I read that Noah filmmakers use an iPad to create a huge lightning and rain effect in the film. In which case, WOW that's impressive!

Then I read more, and well ..

It's the control system software, or app. Basically digital knobs and switches. I'm sorry but something like this can also be custom-made for Windows XP on a Pentium II laptop. Click this, click that. It's even can be more accurate and faster with keyboard, trackpad and hard-wired system. So I failed to see why it's such a big deal?

Rating: 9 Votes

Jared Strike

64 months ago

I won't be surprised if in the near future, filmmakers will start using just iPads for shooting movies. :eek:

hahahahahahahahahahahaha No.

Rating: 7 Votes

sshambles

64 months ago

?????????????

It's called a joke, ;)

Rating: 6 Votes

a0me

64 months ago

hahahahahahahahahahahaha No.

An iPad with a 4K camera and 512GB or 1TB of memory can't be so far off.

Rating: 5 Votes

prowlmedia

64 months ago

I was thinking more like "downloading" it, but that behavior is not condoned on this site for sure.

So you are religious but steal? His does that work?

As of the movies concept, the Noah myth has been round way longer than the bible and is in other cultural stories too. Most of the first part of the that book is basically rewritten cultural stories, and the rest is up to you to decide what's true or not.

If you choose to live your life under the doctrine of a corrupt state in the Middle Ages that drew together lots of stories to control the population who killed people for saying the world was round, or that every child is born evil then that's fine for you.

As for the transformers, I have more faith there is a robot planet out there with transforming carbots than any of the bible myths. 6000 years pfffff.

I actually know a religious tech guy that won't buy apple now because Tim cook is openly gay. What a douche.

Rating: 5 Votes

lordofthereef

64 months ago

This thread is amazing. It has jumped from freedom of religion, the offensiveness of the new Noah movie, Tim Cook being gay (I didn't know that so news to me), camera optics, and it keeps evolving. All in FOUR pages.

All because they decided to dump some water on Russell Crowe using an iPad as a controller.

Rating: 5 Votes