Stormchasers filmed on hvx's?
- Thread starter wilsonhvx
- Start date
No, they use canons I think... then again there are so many people in the show now and they all shoot their own stuff too that there is a real melting pot of cameras anywhere from a lipstick windshield mounted driver's camera to prosumer cameras to a freaggin' Imax behemoth.
The only prosumer cameras that I have clearly spotted without doubt were the Canon XH-A1, a Sony HDV camera and one new Sony EX3.
Shooting DVCPRO HS with P2s doesn't work for them since they have to shoot non stop and can't afford to have piles of 32GB cards... HDV or smaller files like the EX3's work better for then.
If I were them I'd have a bunch of A1s, affordable if they get busted up, nice long zooms and tapes.
The only prosumer cameras that I have clearly spotted without doubt were the Canon XH-A1, a Sony HDV camera and one new Sony EX3.
Shooting DVCPRO HS with P2s doesn't work for them since they have to shoot non stop and can't afford to have piles of 32GB cards... HDV or smaller files like the EX3's work better for then.
If I were them I'd have a bunch of A1s, affordable if they get busted up, nice long zooms and tapes.
FYI I shot my tornado chasing show "The Supercell Hunter" this spring on hvx's and P2.
It's better quality footage and we got more tornadoes.
There are a couple shots of Reed from a couple years ago with his old sony hdv camera but the entire series was shot on sony z7's cmos hdv camera's.
It's better quality footage and we got more tornadoes.
There are a couple shots of Reed from a couple years ago with his old sony hdv camera but the entire series was shot on sony z7's cmos hdv camera's.
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wilsonhvx
Active member
cool, is there anywhere i can view it?
PatrickLawler
Active member
yea I watched an episode and I saw them using the Sony Z7, as for the bigger shoulder-mount cameras that they use I have no idea.
I have seen these cameras on the show. Unless what you are saying is that the Sony that I couldn't recognize, or cameras used on the show that I didn't see, or perhaps you meant other episodes... I would probably shoot with two HXP-170s, one with a wide angle adapter, one with a long adapter and use the shooters in the show, then have an A1 as my B camera running non-stop into tapes, 720p... the show would be in 30fps. Make that guy someone that gets along with everyone, he'll be getting the drama. The HPX armed cameramen would be part of the show... I would edit the drama really docu style... get the audience to believe the chasers are real, no cutting to a different angle always on the A1, but an excellent director operating and the Director for the show.
I think it would be a compelling way to document this chosen profession.
The camera ops, but for the show's purpose "DoP", both working together to capture the most documentative shots of these natural occurences in its expressions, all in full 1080/30p and 720/60p DvcPro HD into a memory card... you have to admit they would fit right into the plot and the group.
They had an F900 for the shoulder cam, F900 crew (2 guys, one to carry and set up the tripod and one camera operator) would get out set it up on the tripod then the DOW would honk and they would have to go before they could get a shot. I watched this happen over and over and over. It was funny, all the little run and gun Z7 camera's got the majority of the footage with the lipstick dash cams. The footage from the finaly when Reeds probe gets hit is from an hv20 (probe camera). Even standing around the parking lot with the tiv and dow with 3 hours of nothing to do they would still use the Z7's over the 900. I don't think any 900 footage made it into the show, it was too much of a pain in the ass to use for that type of show.
I'm the guy in the Iron Man Shirt (I always ware it for an extra level of protection when tornado chasing
) I have mud on me because we were hit buy a tornado the day before and had to sleep in a ditch, 9 tornadic storms pounded us all night, a farmer found us a day later, pulled us out with his tractor then you see me in the pics covered in mud and no sleep then off for another day just as exciting 
HVX screen shot (un color corrected) of me and The Supercell Hunter running after a tornado, it's the one that hit us
Same with the National Geographic guys, they had a varicam and a few hvx's and got most of thier footage on the hvx's. The large camera's do not work very well n these types of situations.
The other small old camcorders are more for props to show them doing something. They don't put that footage in the show.
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Reed is the only guy in the show that his footage is shown from his Z7, the other camera's are more props and there footage is not in the show.
There were a couple shots of Reed holding an older sony camera from a couple years ago that was edited in when he was talking about previous cold front tornadoes.
I shot my footage in 1080 not 720 on the hvx's, no doubt I have better looking footage.
Not tell it airs on a network, we need to keep it off of youtube. I put a uncolor corrected still screen shot below.
Now you guys know why I'm always compaining of the high P2 card prices, you can have 4 hvx's with P2 cards or 8 Z7's or 10 A1's for the same cost.
Go out and try to do what I did with 1 16 gig card per camera shooting in 1080 with 16 minutes per card, I got it done, talk about a pain in the ass, I could rewrite the P2 workflow book for these types of situations. It wasn't easy and on top of that we had one lap top for our weather satelite radar, gps road maps and offloading dumping P2 cards and it crashed several times a day.
It was one of the funnest adventures I have ever been on, we went on 15 chases. Next year we are going to go on 30 plus chases and have a few tricks up our sleeve that will make more entertaining tv.
Sometimes they do use their footage in the show... when they get something worthwhile they do, it is very telling to show the camera angle from the camera held by the person in the previous shot... especially if in that previous shot the guy was freaking out about a tornado smack in front of his face.
You miss the idea, I said I would chose 30fps for the show, because it would help the motion and there is a lot of running around and hopefully chit flying around... though I would be likely to change my mind and say 24fps, easily. I figured you realized I was saying to shoot 720/60p for slow motion, or double the speed and you get 30 for your 30 timeline.
Crocks? Are you serious? hahaha look at that guy running into a filed chasing for a light pick me up off the ground from that 5 over there. WTF!! hahaha... I still wonder what would happen if the TIV would get into a massive well organized monster of a tornadoe, sometimes I am not so sure it would be heavy enough.
You miss the idea, I said I would chose 30fps for the show, because it would help the motion and there is a lot of running around and hopefully chit flying around... though I would be likely to change my mind and say 24fps, easily. I figured you realized I was saying to shoot 720/60p for slow motion, or double the speed and you get 30 for your 30 timeline.
Crocks? Are you serious? hahaha look at that guy running into a filed chasing for a light pick me up off the ground from that 5 over there. WTF!! hahaha... I still wonder what would happen if the TIV would get into a massive well organized monster of a tornadoe, sometimes I am not so sure it would be heavy enough.
They have the Z7 camera guys standing behind the guys in the show holding the old crappy camera's. It was all shot in 1080 60i on the Z7's, no footage from those crappy old camera's are in the show just some from Reed's old hdv camera from a couple years ago.
Ha ha ha, I had tennis shoe's running through the field, when they got stuck in a foot of mud I had to leave them and run bare foot. The Supercell Hunter had those in the back of the SUV so I put them on so I wouldn't have to chase bare foot. You have no idea how much crap I have gotten for those, when they showed me on the Discovery Channel what shoes do you think I was wearing? Yep, the freakin' crocks. Next time I'm going barefoot, it's not worth it.
Ha ha ha, I had tennis shoe's running through the field, when they got stuck in a foot of mud I had to leave them and run bare foot. The Supercell Hunter had those in the back of the SUV so I put them on so I wouldn't have to chase bare foot. You have no idea how much crap I have gotten for those, when they showed me on the Discovery Channel what shoes do you think I was wearing? Yep, the freakin' crocks. Next time I'm going barefoot, it's not worth it.
I started the year off shooting 30p and had to change to 60i, the auto focus on the hvx sucks for this type of stuff, in 60i it is faster than 30p. 24p strobes way too much for this fast action run n gun stuff.
Next time buy a pair of shoes that fit you... so long as they don't scream, look at me! I am completely delirious by now, let's go running after tornadoes for miles of muddy fields like it is Woodstock! HAhahaha! hehee... dude, serious, look at how Casey is laughing at you hahaha...
so what did you do over the weekend?
I went to some clubs, bars, the beach, and you?
I deprived myself of sleep till I started tripping, then I put on some crocks and run through mud fields after tornadoes..
oh... well, I guess you got me beat there.
ROFL! I can't stop laughing man! hehehe... let's see some of your footage
so what did you do over the weekend?
I went to some clubs, bars, the beach, and you?
I deprived myself of sleep till I started tripping, then I put on some crocks and run through mud fields after tornadoes..
oh... well, I guess you got me beat there.
ROFL! I can't stop laughing man! hehehe... let's see some of your footage
Sean C. laughing at me? Did you see the episode where he couldn't get the TIV turned around to intercept a tornado then Ronan started driveing it the wrong way on the highway? It was not the last episode but I think the second to last episode?
The pic I posted was us on the other side of the tornado running through the field after it laughing our asses off at them and Reed who chose to leave that storm. Who was in Oklahoma for the big monster tornadoes of the year (the next day), we were (filmed 5 that day) they all went north and bust. Ha ha ha ha
We smoked them on getting more tornadoes, who's laughing now? Ha ha ha ha
It was spend the day trying to find a walmart to buy tennis shoes or go get on the storms that were firing up. I got the shots!
I told you, next time I'm freakin' going barefoot.
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Yea, Reed's probe had an hv20 in it.