71. SECOND STORY
Witnessing the devastating effects of extreme weather phenomena from the safety of a television set has proven to be awe-inspiring entertainment for a wide audience. Second Story studio director Julie Beeler explains how, through researching materials, questioning outside experts and drawing on resources provided by National Geographic, this companion site to the IMAX film, Forces of Nature, effectively illustrates the actual science behind the earth’s most violent natural events.

“For each force of nature—volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes—a lab section utilizes 3D models, illustrations, animations, and diagrams to explore where each phenomenon occurs, what causes it, and how it is measured or classified,” Beeler explains. At the end of each lab a special interactive allows visitors to create their own forces of nature. The idea was to build content with educational value while putting the visitor in the role of Mother Nature herself. In one section, for example, she says, “Visitors can set the right conditions for a tornado, and then unleash nature on a helpless, unsuspecting farm.”

The content was designed and created uniquely for this site. Interactive animations, 3D fly-throughs, videos, and simulators provide an extraordinary and entertaining way to explore the many furies of nature. Dana Rouse