Private Project

"The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky" (Festival Short)

Storm chasers risk their lives to make their communities safer from dangerous weather. Shot in America's Tornado Alley region, the film explores the everyday lives of chasers from a behind-the-scenes perspective. We learn the many things that drive a storm chaser, but in the end, it's about their love for nature and using what they learn to help others.

  • Martin Lisius
    Director
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Martin Lisius
    Writer
  • Martin Lisius
    Producer
  • Kim George
    Producer
  • Rich Summers
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
  • Marisa Hampton
    Key Cast
    "Mother Nature"
  • Calleigh Cravens
    Key Cast
    "Curious Kid #1"
  • Kyler Cravens
    Key Cast
    "Curious Kid #2"
  • Gary Woodall
    Key Cast
    "Voice of the National Weather Service"
  • Martin Lisius
    Director of Photography
    U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere
  • William T. Reid
    Second Unit Photography
  • Skip SoRelle
    Sound Editing
  • Steven George
    Production Assistant
  • Megan St.Cin Baca
    Production Assistant
    Happy Family (2015)
  • Matthew Lisius
    Marketing
  • Keith Brown
    Storm Chaser
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Cheryl Chang
    Storm Chaser
  • Bob Conzemius
    Storm Chaser
  • Charles Doswell
    Storm Chaser
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Jennifer Dunn
    Storm Chaser
  • Carson Eads
    Storm Chaser
    Chasing the Wind (1991)
  • Marc Gebhard
    Storm Chaser
  • Andrew George
    Storm Chaser
  • Chris Gullikson
    Storm Chaser
  • Jason Jordan
    Storm Chaser
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Tim Marshall
    Storm Chaser
    Chasing the Wind (1991)
  • Marcia Perez
    Storm Chaser
  • Matt Phelps
    Storm Chaser
  • Robert Prentice
    Storm Chaser
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Scott Rae
    Storm Chaser
  • William T. Reid
    Storm Chaser
    The Chasers of Tornado Alley (1996)
  • Dan Schmidt
    Storm Chaser
  • Terrence Malick
    Thanks to
    Badlands (1973), The Thin Red Line (1998), A Hidden Life (2019), The Tree of Life (2011), Voyage of Time (2016)
  • Steve Franko
    Thanks to
  • Miguel Guerra
    Thanks to
    L.I.F.E. (2020)
  • Mark Menza
    Thanks to
    Until the Very Last Page (2025)
  • James Neel
    Thanks to
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Science, Nature, Natural History, Documentary, Climate, Environmental, Cinematography, American, Adventure, Weather, educational, short
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 13, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DCI 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    17:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • APOX Film Festival 2024
    Lošinj
    Croatia
    October 3, 2024
    Croatia Premiere
    Official Selection
  • RAW Science Film Festival 2024
    New York City
    United States
    October 5, 2024
    New York City
    Official Selection
  • Húsavík Explorers Festival 2024
    Husavik
    Iceland
    November 9, 2024
    Iceland
  • Los Angeles Cinematography AWARDS
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 9, 2024
    Winner - Best Documentary Cinematography
  • Canadian Cinematography Awards

    Canada
    September 7, 2024
    Finalist - Best Documentary Cinematography
Distribution Information
  • For film festival distribution only.
Director Biography - Martin Lisius

Martin Lisius is a Texas-based filmmaker and veteran storm chaser. As a cinematographer, he has contributed to productions for BBC - including the "Planet Earth" series, National Geographic, NBCUniversal, Netflix and Warner Bros. In 2018, he shot the first-ever 16K production using a special camera system he designed and built. He has appeared on "Oprah," CNN, The Weather Channel, and CBS Evening News, collaborated on "Twisters" (2024), and worked as a technical advisor on "Twister" (1996).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was inspired to make this film after giving a career day presentation about storm chasing to school children who wanted to know everything about the topic. My goal for the film was to portray storm chasers as accurately as possible. I want audiences to see what a typical chase day is like, what chasers are doing to help their communities, and to see and understand the incredible beauty of the storms we pursue.