Matt Starkey
EF0
May 29, 2004 was a unique severe weather outbreak day across the central and southern plains of the United States. Prolific tornado-producing thunderstorms raked across parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma that afternoon and evening.
Our chase on May 29, 2004 turned out to be a wonderful outing, maybe even the chase of a lifetime! This two-DVD set documents the events of that day. The National Weather Service had issued a High Risk outlook for severe weather across the plains. Late that morning, we drove north to intercept storms in Kansas with an initial target just west of the city of Wichita. Little did we know when we started out that we would later end up at the right place at the right time to view one of the most photogenic storms of the year!
The footage provides a front seat view as the chase day unfolds. Shot with a 3 chip CCD camcorder and tripoded, the footage of the Harper Co. tornadic storm as it moves northeast toward Sumner Co. has been described by fellow chasers and meteorologists as some of the best storm-structure video they have seen. This video provides an excellent source of training footage for local Skywarn Storm Spotter training sessions. Titles/graphics are interspersed throughout providing time and location information as well as National Weather Service warnings as they occur. The DVDs contain scene selection menus to enable easy navigation for the viewer.
DVD-1: The first storm video sequence consists of a photogenic dissipating storm east of Pratt, Kansas. Later, as we retreat east, we hear the tornado warning for a storm almost 50 miles to our southwest producing a tornado in Harper County. After rushing south to get into position, our next stop provides an uncut video record (30 minutes) of the Harper County tornadic supercell storm as it moves northeast toward Sumner County. Our viewing position relative to the storm is unique in that we are 15 miles east of the storm, in a large wheat field, with a full, uninterrupted view of the storm structure with its associated tornadoes. Rotation on all levels from storm-scale down to the tornadic circulation can be seen. During this time, we view the transition from a single cone tornado to a large wedge tornado. A time-lapse segment of the Harper County event follows.
DVD-2: The Harper County video sequence is repeated but with enhanced contrast to reveal more cloud details. After the Harper County wedge tornado becomes rain-wrapped and can no longer be seen, we drive back north through the small town of Milan in northwest Sumner County. As we clear the trees on the north side of town, another tornado is seen forming as the storm produces another series of tornadoes in Sumner County. We make another video stop just northeast of Milan on US Hwy 60 and view the tornado several miles to the north. The tornado narrowly misses the town of Conway Springs, passing 1 mile south of town. We drive east on US Hwy 60, turning north on SR 49 south of Conway Springs and are able to gain sight of the tornado again at dusk as it continues to the east. A time-lapse segment of the Sumner County footage is then presented followed by a photo/video montage of the day.
Each of the two DVDs have been produced in DVD+R format and each have a running time of about 51 minutes. I could have crammed all of the video from these two disks onto one DVD, but this would have degraded the quality of the video. My concern is to provide the highest quality video for the price, thus, I split the footage over the two disks. I considered my options concerning what kind of format to use, DVD+R or DVD-R. I decided to go with the DVD+R format because of technical advice I received indicating that slightly better video quality can be obtained plus it is compatible with the majority of DVD players on the market. Also, with some research, I discovered that one cannot trust the quality of DVDs by brand name. These companies do not make their own disks, but outsource to other manufacturers. One must determine the Media ID of a DVD to determine the disc manufacturer, and there is a wide range in quality depending on who manufactures the disc! I make it a point to use only quality 1st class media discs.
Customer Comments:
"I have about 30+ unique chase DVD/Videos (commercial, amateur and professional stormchasers) and I have to say that your set is probably the best assembled with some of the most beautiful SuperCell videography I have ever seen!!!!! Much of the actual tornado footage was very good!!!!"
- John W. Hoffman (Michigan, U.S.A)
"Just wanted to let you know that your amazing DVDs arrived today.. my husband and I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed them!
The lighting that day was incredible, and to see the rose light behind much of the footage was spectacular... particularly the view when the setting sun poked out... i loved that shot. The quality of the dvds is amazing.
I loved the way you edited your footage so as to keep the feel of the chase without feeling the need to add to the drama in any artificial way. The result was pure nature at its most dramatic and it was awe inspiring. It was great to see the supercell rolling and changing structure over a long time, rather than chopping it up or adding too many shots from other chases... so well done!"
- Heloise Gravenor-Howells (United Kingdom)
I prefer payment through PayPal, but I am open for payments via money orders/cashier's checks made payable to "Matthew Starkey". I will accept personal checks as well. I will mail the DVDs out to you within 24 hours and will send you an email confirmation that they have been sent.
I am requesting $16.95 for the DVD set. Feel free to contact me via email if you are interested.
Matthew Starkey
Copyright Disclaimer: All video and photos on these DVDs are copyrighted material. I created and own this material as well as the photos presented in this eBay listing. Any unauthorized duplication, distribution, or broadcast of any kind is strictly prohibited. © Matthew Starkey All rights reserved.
Our chase on May 29, 2004 turned out to be a wonderful outing, maybe even the chase of a lifetime! This two-DVD set documents the events of that day. The National Weather Service had issued a High Risk outlook for severe weather across the plains. Late that morning, we drove north to intercept storms in Kansas with an initial target just west of the city of Wichita. Little did we know when we started out that we would later end up at the right place at the right time to view one of the most photogenic storms of the year!
The footage provides a front seat view as the chase day unfolds. Shot with a 3 chip CCD camcorder and tripoded, the footage of the Harper Co. tornadic storm as it moves northeast toward Sumner Co. has been described by fellow chasers and meteorologists as some of the best storm-structure video they have seen. This video provides an excellent source of training footage for local Skywarn Storm Spotter training sessions. Titles/graphics are interspersed throughout providing time and location information as well as National Weather Service warnings as they occur. The DVDs contain scene selection menus to enable easy navigation for the viewer.
DVD-1: The first storm video sequence consists of a photogenic dissipating storm east of Pratt, Kansas. Later, as we retreat east, we hear the tornado warning for a storm almost 50 miles to our southwest producing a tornado in Harper County. After rushing south to get into position, our next stop provides an uncut video record (30 minutes) of the Harper County tornadic supercell storm as it moves northeast toward Sumner County. Our viewing position relative to the storm is unique in that we are 15 miles east of the storm, in a large wheat field, with a full, uninterrupted view of the storm structure with its associated tornadoes. Rotation on all levels from storm-scale down to the tornadic circulation can be seen. During this time, we view the transition from a single cone tornado to a large wedge tornado. A time-lapse segment of the Harper County event follows.
DVD-2: The Harper County video sequence is repeated but with enhanced contrast to reveal more cloud details. After the Harper County wedge tornado becomes rain-wrapped and can no longer be seen, we drive back north through the small town of Milan in northwest Sumner County. As we clear the trees on the north side of town, another tornado is seen forming as the storm produces another series of tornadoes in Sumner County. We make another video stop just northeast of Milan on US Hwy 60 and view the tornado several miles to the north. The tornado narrowly misses the town of Conway Springs, passing 1 mile south of town. We drive east on US Hwy 60, turning north on SR 49 south of Conway Springs and are able to gain sight of the tornado again at dusk as it continues to the east. A time-lapse segment of the Sumner County footage is then presented followed by a photo/video montage of the day.
Each of the two DVDs have been produced in DVD+R format and each have a running time of about 51 minutes. I could have crammed all of the video from these two disks onto one DVD, but this would have degraded the quality of the video. My concern is to provide the highest quality video for the price, thus, I split the footage over the two disks. I considered my options concerning what kind of format to use, DVD+R or DVD-R. I decided to go with the DVD+R format because of technical advice I received indicating that slightly better video quality can be obtained plus it is compatible with the majority of DVD players on the market. Also, with some research, I discovered that one cannot trust the quality of DVDs by brand name. These companies do not make their own disks, but outsource to other manufacturers. One must determine the Media ID of a DVD to determine the disc manufacturer, and there is a wide range in quality depending on who manufactures the disc! I make it a point to use only quality 1st class media discs.
Customer Comments:
"I have about 30+ unique chase DVD/Videos (commercial, amateur and professional stormchasers) and I have to say that your set is probably the best assembled with some of the most beautiful SuperCell videography I have ever seen!!!!! Much of the actual tornado footage was very good!!!!"
- John W. Hoffman (Michigan, U.S.A)
"Just wanted to let you know that your amazing DVDs arrived today.. my husband and I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed them!
The lighting that day was incredible, and to see the rose light behind much of the footage was spectacular... particularly the view when the setting sun poked out... i loved that shot. The quality of the dvds is amazing.
I loved the way you edited your footage so as to keep the feel of the chase without feeling the need to add to the drama in any artificial way. The result was pure nature at its most dramatic and it was awe inspiring. It was great to see the supercell rolling and changing structure over a long time, rather than chopping it up or adding too many shots from other chases... so well done!"
- Heloise Gravenor-Howells (United Kingdom)
I prefer payment through PayPal, but I am open for payments via money orders/cashier's checks made payable to "Matthew Starkey". I will accept personal checks as well. I will mail the DVDs out to you within 24 hours and will send you an email confirmation that they have been sent.
I am requesting $16.95 for the DVD set. Feel free to contact me via email if you are interested.
Matthew Starkey
Copyright Disclaimer: All video and photos on these DVDs are copyrighted material. I created and own this material as well as the photos presented in this eBay listing. Any unauthorized duplication, distribution, or broadcast of any kind is strictly prohibited. © Matthew Starkey All rights reserved.
