2004 Chase Video - "Timeless Journey"

[Scott Blair]

http://www.targetarea.net/video04.html

Jason Politte and I are pleased to announce the release of “Storm Chase 2004 – Timeless Journeyâ€￾ – the follow-up to last year’s “Season of Significance.â€￾

The featured chases include:

March 27 - A memorable early season chase across west Oklahoma allows the documentation of two supercells and three tornadoes near Butler, Custer City, and Okarche.

May 24 - Experience the violent Albany, Missouri supercell from close range and observe near bolts and window-rattling thunder as the storm spawns a long-lived tornado with incredible multiple-vortex action.

May 29 - An intense supercell near Jamestown, Kansas produces extremely large hail and several tornadoes, including a large wedge and anticyclonic satellites, viewed from close proximity.

June 10 - This classic Nebraska supercell produces a picturesque, well backlit and long-lived tornado near Big Springs that concludes with a spectacular rope-out nearly overhead.

June 12 - Witness one of the most memorable moments of 2004 as the beautiful yet unfortunately destructive white Mulvane, Kansas tornado poses with a vivid rainbow before obliterating a house. The storm cycles and at sunset, produces another tornado near Rock.

September 4 – After setting up data-gathering towers in Fort Pierce, Florida for a ULM research project, Scott Blair films CAT 2 Hurricane Frances crashing ashore - producing massive waves, dangerous storm surge, and damaging winds, which lifts roofs and scatters debris.

The price of the video is $20 U.S. / $25 International and is available in both DVD+R and VHS formats. To order and for more information, including video stills and a preview video clip, can be found at:

http://www.targetarea.net/video04.html

Scott Blair

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Hmmmmm, how to review this video.... Wow? No, a wow is not enough. Holy smokes? No. Good god!? Closer. I don't have the word I guess. It's a piece of work, that is for sure. 5-24......extremely close to extreme motion with multiple vorticies out in the field. 5-29 they were the only ones close to the wedge that I have seen. Watch powerpoles going over as they move west to see the wedge emerge out of the hail/rain wrap with some 5 inch stones going north in greater then 60mph winds....likely much greater. That was just an intense scene. 6-10 they get some FINE video of that tornado with one of the more wild rope out scenes I've ever seen, possibly because it was so close as part of the vortex was overhead. We're talking a very close view of this thing. And of course we have Mulvane. I'd have to say they have the best video I have seen of this. Again, there are no words for this sequence....no words....you have to see it. A truly amazing video guys, GREAT job and THANKS!!!!

 

[Shane Adams]

Scott Blair and Jason Politte return to the quick-strike style of their 2002 debut (4 Years In 80 Minutes) with their latest effort, "Timeless Journey." They somehow manage to pack 2004 into one hour, and the result is non-stop excitement from beginning to end. They have unique views of some notable, widely-covered events.

These guys maintain their reputation for being hail freaks, as they lollygag into cores that would turn even the mightiest of men into sniffling school girls, ho-humming their way through 5-inch hail barrages while calming contemplating "is that a giant wedge right in fornt of us?" Adventure laced with comic undertones, unintentional perhaps but brilliant. My personal favorite is the May 24 Missouri segment. I kept saying to the television as I watched this scene "Scott, you're almost in the tornado man, you should stop now..." but he stays right with this insane tornado or tornadoes, impossible to tell where something ends and another begins. Doesn't matter, cause it's all amazing stuff.

Probably my favorite cinematic moment (though admittedly I'm not about judging videos for "art" value) is the June 10 tornado, very sweet contrast and a great tripoded view, still as death and unubstructed. A clip not even the stubborn-most critic could truthfully find fault with. The video ends with documentation of Scott and Prof's Frances experiment, and I'm happy to report both instrumented towers came through just fine. I like the closers these guys always do, just them standing in front of the camera, talking.......real.

One thing that I noticed was Jason slipping in a quick "this might be our last collaboration" during the closing comments. No further explanation is given, and I can't see why these two would purposely break-up such a great video marriage. I'm interested to find out the answer behind this mystery, though if Timeless Journey is indeed their last together, I may never.

Oh well, I sure as hell enjoyed the ride......

 

[Charles Allison]

Just finished Scott and Jason's DVD. Not real good a writing reviews but I will say that You have to see the Mulvane tornado on this DVD! WOW!! Very nice DVD with cool time lapse stuff and lots of tornado's, did I mention the Mulvane tornado? Holy Crap! I going to go watch the Mulvane part again!

 

[Jason_Politte]

Thanks all who've posted reviews. It's great to hear that the video's being enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the servers hosting both Scott's and my web sites are currently down, so until our sites and the video order pages are working again, anybody wishing to order the video can e-mail me directly at:

[email protected]

Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Jason

 

[Bobby Eddins]

Got to watch Scott and Jason's masterpiece yesterday and all I can say is "Holly Smoke" these guys go where no human was meant to be. Great video and great production quality.

They catch crazy action near Albany, MO on May 24th in the field next to them.

It was neat to see the Jamestown wedge appear ahead as these guys drive through the hook with very large hail bouncing across the road ahead of them and hitting them (ouch!) This is a great example of life inside a hook!

Their view of the Big Springs, NE tornado is awesome and close.

They save the best for the last with lots of zoomed in close-ups of the Mulvane, KS tornado in action as it sends debre hundreds of feet into the air. This has to be the most beautiful tornado of the year with the tornado bright white and it's colorful rainbow making a giant X in the sky. WOW!!

This is a must have for any chase video collectors out there.

 

[Verne Carlson]

What can I say that hasn't already been said! This DVD delivers Tornado after Tornado! Great views of the Mulvane, KS Tornado - just awesome. This has got to be the most photogenic tornado of the year!

A must have DVD for everyone's collection!

 

[Dave Crowley]

Finally got to watch Jason and Scott's DVD "Timeless Journey"
ONE great thing about this DVD is the live narrating during the events. Very professional about their descriptions of what's happening. Even a non chaser could get the hang of it all. Very cool.

My favorite segment would be the June 10 in SW Nebraska. Entire tornadogenesis from the first evidence of the wall cloud to the thick ropeout that curves in crazy directions. Fantastic footage guys!

Now, on May 24 in NW Missouri... yikes! I'm sure this chase was a little nerving, as the rotation in this rain wrapped mess was everywhere. In front of them, beside them (both sides). BUT, these guys nail it as usual! Ugly, ugly blackness backlit nicely, yields non stop rotations and vortices everywhere.

And yes, as mentioned above, the Mulvane footage is great!

Nice dvd cover work, the menu screen is very cool, nicely done in every regards. Another dvd for the wintertime collection. !

Great job guys! (and Marcie)

 

[Tony Laubach]

Just finished watching "Timeless Journey" and was totally at the edge of my seat! The up close view on May 24 was gut-wrenching and incredible! The hail slamming into the ground was pretty cool to watch in high winds! That was some insane footage! June 10 was pretty cool, too! Makes me even sorrier I missed that storm! Excellent editing, cool cover! Another must-have in the 2004 collection!

 

[Amos Magliocco]

You might expect a chaser’s chaser like Scott Blair or Jason Politte to launch their DVD with a sequence that helps put such a phenomenal year in some perspective. Their new DVD, “Stormchase 2004 - Timeless Journey,†does just that with an opening segment dedicated to the majesty of the atmosphere, an original and compelling reminder of what draws us out even in years when tornadoes aren’t as common as road construction in Kansas. It’s a great setup to their presentation of their year’s best storm structure and tornadoes.

On May 24th, Scott and Marcie Martin earn their Albany, Missouri tornadoes by sifting through hail, hard-to-read storm bases, and chaotic occlusions very near their location. This was a remarkable multi-vortex circulation with individual vortices forming all the way to the high cloud base then spinning off and out the frame in a fascinating replacement cycle before a larger, more ominous condensation funnel forms.

On May 29th, the chasers have the Jamestown wedge well-documented as this tornado pulls insane inflow before bombing the road with five-inch hail. Later, Jason captures a nicely-illuminated rope-out.

On June 10th, Scott and Marcie observe the full life-cycle of the Big Springs storm, from the initial updraft with overshooting top, to the first dust turns on the ground. Perfectly backlit, this tornado fills in gradually so that the entire vortex is visible through light dust before the condensation stretches downward from the higher circulation. This is a great image with the clear blue sky and fair weather cu in the distant background: the best up-close imagery of Big Springs I’ve seen this year. Their version of June 10 is a great depiction of this tornado’s evolution into the cylindrical tube that everyone recognizes. Timeless Journey makes a strong argument that Big Springs well deserves consideration as one of the year’s most remarkable sights.

May 29th begins with a careful approach interrupted the by a shattered window in Jason’s vehicle. Then the Mulvane tube descends into the incandescent glow like some perfect confirmation of 2004’s legendary status. Scott and Marcie capture some intense multi-vortex debris fields beneath the rainbow—there is never a new vision of this tornado that isn’t captivating. The colors are dynamic, a field of gold in the foreground and the white tornado crossing paths with a rainbow, piercing the prism colors to emerge on the other side. The team captures the entire rope stage and debris pattern as it centrifuges glittering steel and aluminum debris.

The interception of Hurricane Francis really helps set Timeless Journey apart. The team sets up a series of instrument towers and waits for the storm to arrive. When it does, the power of the wind and water strips roofs and bends street signs nearly parallel with the horizon.

Once again, Jason and Scott have combined for a great video with multiple angles and a variety of cool storms and tornadoes. Timeless Journey has high production values and great content, and best of all the commitment and experience of two great chasers leading the way. It’s available on either Jason or Scott’s websites here and 10% of their proceeds are dedicated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund:

http://www.targetarea.net/video04.html

http://www.onthefront.ws/video04.htm


Amos Magliocco

 

[Jason_Politte]

I just wanted to thank everybody for the fantastic reviews. All the kind comments Scott Blair and I've received regarding "Timeless Journey" are what makes producing these chase videos worthwhile.

Also, for those interested, we've decided to continue the Christmas sale of 2003's "Season of Significance" and 2004's "Timeless Journey" as a two-video set for only $30 available in both DVD+R and VHS formats. Details can be found at:

http://www.onthefront.ws/xmasvid.htm

Ten percent of the proceeds from all of our video sales will be donated to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Jason

 

[Larry J. Kosch]

Thanks

I just wanted to say 'Thanks" for a great pair of storm chasing DVDs, 2003 and 2004. I reviewed the DVDs on my laptop computer starting with the 2003 DVD.

It was clear from watching the 2003 DVD that the year 2003 was a lackluster year until the South Dakota tornado outbreak in June. Then the action got so hot, the DVD player on my laptop overheated and shut down the movie!! :shock: After a 15 minute cooling off period, I was able to complete watching the 2003 DVD.

If the 2003 chase season was an appetizer, then the 2004 chase season was a full-blown four course meal!! I have seen quite a few videos showing the Mulvane KS tornado. They were mostly from the south and looking toward the tornado as it passed by. This DVD showed a rare view of the tornado as it seems to come toward you with a rainbow in the background. Then it passed by and the chasers found themselves going thru the damage path of the tornado. The closeups of the tornado from behind was simply amazing. You can see dust getting kicked up and shingle debris flying everywhere as it crossed a dirt road. Then when it lifted up for a moment, you could see multiple vortexs swirling around in the funnel area. It was simply both amazing and horrifying at the same time. Kinda like getting tickled and scared twice!!

Also I appreciated the footage of Hurricane Frances at the end. I will have to review that part again sometimes. The bonus footage of the implosion at the end was a nice surprise. It was interesting to see how that one part of the building managed to stay up!!

Again thanks for a great pair of storm chase DVDs.

Larry