A storm chaser produced tv show?

[Michael O'Keeffe]

There is a lot of controversary about tv shows giving the public a bad impression on the storm chaser community. This is partly because of the show producers and how they want the show to be played out. I think we have the right to show everyone we are not out there looking for destruction.

Call me crazy, but I was just thinking of having a TV show produced by storm chasers about storm chasers. It would be like a weekly tv series about what it's like to be a storm chaser and going through a season. The stress, excitement, and long hours on the road. It would show waiting for intiation, picking a target, and the actual chasing.

The point of the show would be to show the public what a storm chaser is really like and what goes into the "sport".

What are your guys and gals thoughts? Am I crazy for thinking this?

 

[rdale]

Not crazy for thinking this, but not likely to have the money to do it since the only place you'd get it aired would be on local access stations...

 

[bill mudd]

Im sure there are others that can chime in here, that have had this thought, including myself.
Some serious questions would need to be looked at.
I work with a guy that is a Hollywood set maker/director.
Ill pose the question to him. I love the idea. I would be willing to share my thoughts on this if anyone would like to PM me.

1. What would say a 1 hr. quality demo show cost to produce?
2. Who would pay for the editing to prepare the demo?
3. What compensation would the chaser/photographer be given?
4. Who would have a good connection into a Science/Discovery type chanel?

I think humanizing the storm chaser would be a new idea. Instead of focusing on just the big twister, the focus could also be on the behind the scenes, the preparations, the break downs, the bust, the score, the beauty of a super cell, the technology, the nuances.

Personally Im tired of Storm Stories where 90% of the show has been fabricated. How bout a show where everything is 100% authentic?

Only problem is....wouldnt the show encourage more people into doing it , causing even more chaser traffic jams? Thats what kinda stops my thoughts. Not totally, but its a consideration for me.

Anyway I do like the idea.

 

[Stan Rose]

Personally Im tired of Storm Stories where 90% of the show has been fabricated. How bout a show where everything is 100% authentic?

Great, let's make the show 12 hours long, include the in depth analysis of the model forecasts, show the long long hours on the road, and then the big payoff at the end when the cap holds and the viewer is left looking at blue skies!! The ratings will surely soar...

Seriously, i like the idea too, my point is if really done properly the appeal will be limited, the challenge would be to maintain authenticity while being entertaining.

 

[Sean Casey]

I think the idea has all the potential in the world. It's success will obviously depend on how well it's played out.

I think if there was a person to organize it all into an interesting format it could be something that a Nat Geo entity would be into

I'd be glad to help out, at least in getting the proposed idea to the right people.

sean

 

[Bill Tabor]

Here's a thought. You could create a program kind of like "Cops" where each episode is with a different chase group and / or chase event. The show host could ride along with each group on each episode. An alternative would be to have different chasers with their own vidcams create their own episode, and send it in. The show producers could perform professional editing, and additional interviews - out takes.

 

[Michael O'Keeffe]

Bill,

That is a awesome idea. I had that same idea in mind. I would support idea if any one was interested in doing it.

 

[cedwards]

That is already being done in a way.
George Kourounis has a LOT of say into the making of his show "Angry Planet".
It is not just storm chasing, He does a lot of other things besides chase, but the chasing is a BIG part of it.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

I think it's a good idea, but don't really know that series would be able to be made out of it. It seems more like a one or two episode thing to me, a one time special. Eventually the public would get tired of the same routine on every episode. I like the idea, but I don't think the public would find it as interesting as us.

 

[Mickey Ptak]

I agree with what has been said about keeping the viewers interest for a full length series. But I think it would be a very interesting 1-3 part documentary series perhaps. I would be very interested in working in a collaborative setting on a project like this. Skipping out on the hype and really show people what storm chasing is really about. The good, the boring, and the bad. As suggested, covering multiple chasers would give the viewers a wide range perception of what really happens.

The major channels like Discovery only portray a fraction of what it is all about and that’s because they have know idea what it is really about. I think a documentary created by real chasers would do a lot of good if the picture is portrayed in the correct way.
I could list a many good drawbacks, but you never know until you try.

Mick

 

[John Diel]

It could be an intersting 30 minute series in 4 or 5 parts. I don't tihink you could go much longer than that. Sean's offered up some good stuff as he's already in the industry. George K. would be another that could possibly help.

Following multiple chasers through the season could be interesting. Show the busts, the prep, the reward. Tim Samaras might be able to help a bit on the contact level too. Just something to think about if this ever gets going.

I'm kind of thinking of something along the lines of "Most Dangerous Catch" would be the format. Production would be tough. Especially if one of us were to attempt taking it one. Those that worked on the production of the "Storms of 200X" DVD's will probably attest to that.

Some things to ponder....

1. What exactly do you want to portray?
2. How would you get that message across to the audience?
3. Who would you have as your figures?
4. Just why do we want to do this again?

Logistics will be hard. The more chasers involved the more film teams would be needed. I don't think that using the Chasers own video would be a good idea. The Chaser is going to be more interested in catching the Storm, NOT videoing himself (well maybe, depending on your narcistic level). So you have a film/sound team following along.

Your going to need money. Don't know where to get that....

The list grows.

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Funny you guys are talking about this because I am currently in the pre-production stages of producing a feature length documentary about storm chasing (aka, a documentary about storm chasing by a storm chaser). I might as well debut the idea in a thread talking about it. Here are my goals for the project:

1)Teach the audience about what storm chasing is really like. Show what the culture is like and the science and everything else that goes into being a storm chaser.
2)Educate the audience on severe weather and the dangers
3)Try to do all of this while maintaining a fun and dynamic atmosphere in the production.

Like I said, I'm in the pre-production stages and I plan on shooting some this spring and summer and once again possibly next spring. The plan would be to overview what storm chasing would be like, interview a lot of you guys and that sort of thing. I've got some grandiose plans for the documentary and I plan on submitting it to tons of film festivals and the like. So...with that said, I'd be more than happy to lead the way with the idea. I like some of the ideas presented in this post as far as following multiple chasers and such. You guys are correct about needing to use professional equipment, you have to have the exact same cameras and audio equipment, etc. for everyone you'd want to follow around. Getting a show on Discovery, etc. would take a very professional attempt at a production.

 

[John Diel]

Mick Ptak and I have tossed the idea around a couple of times, but never really got anywhere with it. I think the equipment issue is a moot point as long as it's consistent. Don't use a $200 Wal-Mart special and try to mix it in with a Sony Broadcast HD cam. They won't mix at all.

The people shooting the video should know something more than Point and shoot. There is a lot to know about proper lighting of the subject, getting the backgrounds to mesh, things like that.

Most often, people forget about sound. They generally use what ever comes in on the camera. For a Pro-Am production and something you will want to send out for a TV Demo, you better get a good sound person. Single point sound or Wireless mic's are put to good use on things like this. Wind Noise is really atrocious on any on board camera. There are ways to defeat this, but again, it takes both experience and decent equipmet to do this properly. Sound is half of your production. Movies are made or broken by sound.

I think I would probably stay away from the interviews. Most people being interviewed, look and sound like they're being interviewed. Keep it entertaining. Show some of the idiot stuff we do when busted. Some of the more lunatic stuff we do while waiting on that big core to go up. Doesn't have to be long clips, but a few seconds of cow tipping in Oklahoma before the storm, can lead to a few chuckles and giggles before the big serious stuff.

I would probably try to make as many of my shots as candid as possible. Shoot from further back where the subject being filmed isn't as cramped and your not near as noticable.

Stuff like that and put together with a single point for your audio, add in various types of music to fit the mood or enhance a point, and you've got quite a production.

Go back and watch National Geographic's special on Tim Samaras and friends. Watch the DOW/TIV segments again and count out how long each segment is. It's truly amazing how many hours of footage is shot for a 10 second clip. ut sometimes that's what's needed to get that particular point across.

I've done a couple of small 30 second TV commercials in which there was no speaking part except at the very end of one. I had over 2 hours of video for one, plus animations and about 90 minutes plus still photos sequenced in for the other. It ain't easy and there a LOT of hours involved.