When the camera is rolling, shut up!

[Jennifer Combs]

My personal opinion as a person that loves to watch chaser videos: I prefer to hear the sound of the storm, but I don't mind a little chatter; good commentary can add a lot to a video. Sometimes I do wish people near the camera wouldn't yell, but that's what the mute is for. I also know that people tend to act like idiots when they see a video camera nearby (not the chasers, but bystanders). You all have seen this on the news, I'm sure. The reporter is doing a live bit and there's people in the background dancing around and acting stupid. You all make good points, but what it really boils down to is the videographer can do whatever s/he wants to with their own, personal video. If they are planning on shooting specifically for news footage or for other people (maybe a friend is paying them for a good chase video), maybe they should take that into consideration before opening their mouths. Either way, I just enjoy seeing the storm and at least hearing some of the storm's fury.

 

[David Schuttler]

My biggest problem is to remember to turn the radio down...

 

[bill mudd]

not ok to submit to media: people dancing around and yelling enthusiasticly yahoooooo

please a lil respect for someone down stream like:
"oh my God I hope the get warned" "I hope everyone gets out ok" "I hope this disapates b4 it gets into a populated area"

or

"wow this is amazing" "incredible structure" "its crossing I30"

(if its for your own use who cares if you run out naked? and who cares what you say?)

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

not ok to submit to media: people dancing around and yelling enthusiasticly yahoooooo

please a lil respect for someone down stream like:
"oh my God I hope the get warned" "I hope everyone gets out ok" "I hope this disapates b4 it gets into a populated area"

or

"wow this is amazing" "incredible structure" "its crossing I30"

(if its for your own use who cares if you run out naked? and who cares what you say?)
[/b]

What just burns me up is the

BAD ACTING

Great, you see a weak tornado, now stop trying to act like it is the end of the world. I don't know how many F ZERO events I have seen on video where people act like it is a 2 mile wide wedge.

You sound like an idiot and when my non chasing friends see the video on CNN, TWC, or other networks, I get to hear, did you see that video with that idiot talking...

Ok, if you have audio of you calling in the torndao, cool, there is nothing wrong with that and it will help to time code where you are and what your seeing to the viewers as well as EMS or NOAA.

But please stop sounding like idiots on video people, it makes us all look like were trying out for "Jackass The Movie 2", which comes out this fall/winter.

On a side note for the Jackass and Wildboyz fans, I talked to my buddy Mark who is a cameraman for that movie and TV Show. He said that the stuff that crew and Johnny Knoxville are doing in this movie is going to blow people away. He could not tell me details exept but just said wait until you see this Shizzel. Knoxville is like Jackie Chan...

 

[Marc Austin]

What is a chase video without the chasers? The people who shoot the video are as much a part of the clip as what they're shooting. I can't stand uptight, silent, same pan, same zoom, tripoded video like you see on TWC everyday...it's boring. When I see a chaser video clip and there's no sound or talking, I always ask myself "is this person even alive?"
[/b]

Shane, I absolutely agree with you! This discussion brings to mind the video clip of you and Mickey in the South Plains/Plainview area tornadoes of 5/12/05! The exclamations during the hail scene made me laugh over and over again and I've found myself saying some of the same types of things while on chases. Sometimes it gets really intense and you just say things without even realizing what you are saying! I think that dynamic between chasers is a very important aspect of storm chasing. In our chase videos we try to emphasize some of the interactions between me, my brother, my sister, and my girlfriend during a tornado event or a severe thunderstorm event. We know that we aren't professionals, we're just having a great time doing what we love and our interactions with each other are often very humorous and provide comic relief. In our case, we're showing our video to friends and family who hardly have a clue what it's like to witness a tornado so it's important that it isn't totally quiet the whole time. They need to see how we are reacting to the tornado/hail/wind damage in order to gain a better idea of how it feels to be there with us. Now that's not to say that quiet moments don't have their place in a storm chasing video. It's just that in our situation, it's better to maintain a level of noise in the background to let people know we are alive, we are here right now, and we are experiencing this! Honestly, a video full of no speaking or exclamations bores me to tears! I like to see what people are talking about when they chase. It makes them seem more human. Not all of us want to have the appearance of an anal perfectionist when we chase. Sometimes it's just nice to relax and have a good time. After all, we did drive hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to capture what we are witnessing... who's to say we can't enjoy the fruits of our labor?!

 

[Shane Adams]

Shane, I absolutely agree with you! This discussion brings to mind the video clip of you and Mickey in the South Plains/Plainview area tornadoes of 5/12/05!
[/b]

I love that clip too, but it was Chad Lawson with Mick that day, not me. I was about a quarter mile west of them getting my own windows blasted out :lol:

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

I think it should be up to the individual storm chasers as to how they want to act on they're video. Personally I think a little exciting background noise adds to the footage, when showing family members video of storms yeah they like to uh and aww at the storm but they love it when there is someone in the background yelling or getting excited thats what they enjoy I like how Dan put it talking to your chase partner about road options or calling in reports are great clean options to spice up the video. I'm sure that video on CNN was seen by alot more people being titled "Were in a bleep Tornado" then if it had said "chasers see tornado" People such as ourselves who love weather can appreciate just watching a beatiful storm with great structure but for the general public the video has to have exciting dialouge or it has to show something getting destroyed thats why CNN showed their exciting video it is rare to see a major network air a peaceful calm tripod shot of a storm.

 

[Marc Austin]

I love that clip too, but it was Chad Lawson with Mick that day, not me. I was about a quarter mile west of them getting my own windows blasted out :lol:
[/b]

Sorry.. I always seem to put you in places that you weren't! I'll have to pay closer attention to that next time! I wish I had been there getting my windshield busted out! We missed that one by a long shot. Too bad...

 

[mike scantlin]

well im not going to say much, because my opinion usually gets me a few PMs about how not to act on this board. maybe i will start a thread on a different board, but back to the subject. randy is a pretty good friend of mine. he gets really close to the tornadoes. if you dont respect that for some reason, ok. but dont call him stupid. while it may be too rich for your blood, thats what he wants to do. as for the audio, i think its fine. how many of you have been caught in a tornado? maybe 1 or 2 of you. and im pretty sure you werent saying "oh shoot" or "well golly darn" its an intense moment that few live to speak about. when the tornado hit, CNN was far from his mind. and he usually doesnt sell his videos, or pictures. i have seen quite a few of his pictures and they are amazing. hes a passionate guy, and if he wants to curse while being hit by a tornado, im pretty sure thats not unreasonable. while i respect your opinion, i disagree. i guess thats enough rambling for now.

 

[Max Iselin]

Just remember your name is on the credit. Are you a wacko or someone who know what you are doing.

People looking in from the outside will believe and say that you are a fruit and while you might say you don't care others do.

 

[Laura Duchesne]

What is a chase video without the chasers? The people who shoot the video are as much a part of the clip as what they're shooting. I can't stand uptight, silent, same pan, same zoom, tripoded video like you see on TWC everyday...it's boring. When I see a chaser video clip and there's no sound or talking, I always ask myself "is this person even alive?" [/b]

You know, you raise a very good point there, Shane! I have felt in the past that I talked too much in my videos, and I wanted to tone it down a bit, but you know what? That is actually hard to do, especially when you are caught up in the moment. Of course, I note to myself to watch what I say because I would like to share my videos with others. I guess it really depends on what your personality is like though... I am a fun person and usually outgoing. I do believe that chasers should be part of the videos they take. Very good points, I never really realized this before.

 

[Hank Schyma]

The commentary of the moron "caught in the tornado" makes us all look dumb. I watched this with coworkers at CBS where everyone knows i'm a storm chaser and was embarrassed. When i got caught up in a dangerous predicament (and we all do) my video was littered with the "F" word.... literally over and over. I sold the footage to KOCO ($50) and they couldnt use the audio for obvious reasons. The airing was much less dramatic.

dramatic audio is good for viewers... my favorite is the huge OKC tornado where the girl is saying "I hate Oklahoma"

I always tell myself to keep cool during a tornado, however I'm never able to.

 

[Karen Politte]

I think I stand on somewhat of the same side of the fence as Shane and Dan on this one.

First of all - I am not offended by profanity as long as it is not used vulgarly and I have a fairly high threshold as far as what is acceptable use of it. You also cannot get much more of a high-stress environment than that which you are in when you have a tornado on the ground in relatively close proximity to you. I've "been there - said that"!

However, the above statement has a precondition......which is:

As long as it is on Dan's aforementioned terms. I.E. - talking over the chase video and even profanity is absolutely fine IF it is genuine. I think Dan hit the nail on the head with that observation. I know my stupid voice has cropped up on more than one occasion on chase videos and I don't even like hearing myself! I don't mind hearing anybody else, though. On the other hand - if you are whooping and hollering like a maniac because you have some aspiration to be the latest MTV/TWC tornado-catching star with shaky video......well - let's just say that A) it shows through every time when you listen to someone like that, and B) it won't get you very far in the longrun.

My 0.02,

K.

 

[David Drummond]

Let's keep the name calling off the boards please. Especially since the guy isn't here to defend himself. It can be discussed without namecalling I am sure. If you had some name calling in your post, please consider going back and editing that.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

While I agree...

Counter point: It's their video/life, they can do whatever they like. If the media still will buy it, why should they care?

Aaron
[/b]

To add to your counterpoint, the media won't just buy it, the media PREFERS it. The media would probably prefer for you to start your cut by dragging your camera through the grass a bit first before raising it up, then doing a few focus racks before landing jerkily on the tornado while shouting for everyone to take cover. They're not looking for tripoded shots with ambient sound, that's for sure.