Twenty years ago, the StormStock production team at Prairie Pictures travelled to the Gulf Coast to intercept what would become one of the most impactful natural disasters in US history. Armed with HD cameras (rare at the time), and Super 35mm film, they braved fierce winds and record-setting storm surge to capture the storm at its height. “I recall seeing refrigerators scattered across Interstate Highway 10, and a shrimp boat smashing against a bridge which was crumbling,” said StormStock founder and cinematographer Martin Lisius. “The winds were so strong, we had to climb to the back of our SUV to film because we couldn’t open the doors.”
That was August 29, 2005. Since then, StormStock has licensed Katrina content for use in hundreds of TV programmes, feature films, commercials, and other videos. The film Lisius shot was transferred to 4K video, extending the life of this dramatic and unique content covering a major historical event.