Commissioned by the Roosevelt Administration, Lorentz made this film for less than $20,000 and it transformed U.S. government film production. His photographers rivaled the fine Depression-era work by Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Thomson collaborated in creating an original film ballad to portray the plight of the Dust Bowl. This tragedy recounted the loss of productive land through ruinous, short-term policies. The film was very popular and was seen in thousands of theaters around the country, despite Hollywood’s opposition to commercial distribution.