Dave Crowley and Justin Teague have done a fine job with their 2004 highlights DVD, "Twisted Skies." After watching this compilation, what strikes me most about it is its plentiful bounty of 2004 events that sort of flew under the radar, such as May 26 and May 29 (both in OK). The production is top-notch, and even though admittedly I'm not a production freak, one must consider the amount of effort and time that went into Twisted Skies, both on the screen and off.
The video begins with the May 12 south Kansas event, and features both the Sharon and Attica tornadoes as the main course. Interesting storytelling as the Sharon tube is largely set to a musical, spiritual montage of sorts, leaving you feeling "cleansed" somehow, then the video roars into Attica with natural sound and dialogue, pulling you from your pedestal of tornado bliss and back into the throes of a very frightening and incredible reality: Attica from less than a mile away, complete with huge swirling, debris-laden dust cloud spinning up anything it touches into oblivion. Towards the end of this segment, the guys (and gal) encounter multiple tornadoes well into twilight. For my money, this segment features the best tornadoes of the entire video.
Next comes May 22, and what a painful segment this is for me personally to watch; Dave and crew pass right by the gas station where we'd sat for over three hours before bailing, as they make their initial approach to the Hebron monster. A series of short-lived tornadoes precedes the very impressive Daykin tornado, which was a true cone then morphed into a dirty barrel/wedge. The guys stay with this thing for quite a while, and the "chase" is quite engrossing. This segment keeps the excitement/interest level as good as May 12, and makes excellent flow through the first third of Twisted Skies.
Twisted's third offering is an event that most people probably aren't familiar with. What would be a news-worthy, front-page event in any other year, May 26 in north-central Oklahoma provides a fresh injection of tornadoes that haven't been covered by 100 others. The first intercept is from a distance, and is a small but stout cone-shaped tornado. The second one is similar, but more eerie as it occurs at dusk, and lasts into darkness, highlighted brilliantly by lightning. This should be a classic someday, as not much video/documentation of this event exists.
Following May 26 is yet another not-so-familiar event, the May 29 tornadic storm in central Oklahoma. Dave and Justin lead the team through what is, IMO, the video's best storytelling segment. This was not an easy storm to chase, and Twisted Skies features a well-directed/edited illustration of just how much work goes into chasing HP-type storms, especially when blowing dust adds to the problem. Much of the video is shot from moving vehicles, as with storms like these, decisions must be quick and windows for video are slim. The team does a masterful job at negotiating section line roads, other chasers, rain/hail cores, and even dangerously-close circulations as they consistently position themselves to view the tricky tornadoes this storm produced. You'll be as impressed with the team's ability to stay with the Calumet tornado as you will be the tornado itself; this piece does a wonderful job presenting just how difficult bigtime Plains chasing can be.......it really does involve some skill. The piece is capped off nicely by a brief/nighttime glimpse of a cone tornado and associated power flashes at dusk, near the town of Piedmont. This is my personal favorite from Twisted.
Would this even be a 2004 chase video review if I didn't say the magic word - Mulvane? Twisted Skies' group captured a well-done angle from the west, featuring tripoded video throughout, as well as wide-angle and zoomed-in camera angles inter-laced. Very graphic scene as the now-famous farm house takes a direct hit, becoming a sea of shiny metal. Then we're whisked away from all that real-world destruction and drama, into a magical plane of existence, where only tornadoes dance, eyes rejoice, and hearts flutter. The Rock tornado is presented in time-lapsed mode, throughout its entirety. Accompanied by a beautiful score, everything around you disappears and nothing matters except that tornado, as it spins itself into a beautiful death.
After all of that, we're treated to a unquiely-done lightning timelapse. Instead of the traditional fast-forward on a tripod, we're treated to several still images, all captured from tripods, giving the illusion of constant lightning, though the viewer knows it isn't. I've not seen anything quite like the way this was done, and I was quite impressed.
Twisted Skies is one of the more well-rounded chase vids of 2004, with a little something for everyone. As well as this compilation was put together, from the production to the packaging, it could be 62 minutes of two guys playing catch in the rain and it'd still be worth the price of admission.
