For Immediate Release

ITHACA COLLEGE BUYS 20 JVC GY-HM700 PROHD
CAMCORDERS FOR SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS

 Two Units Configured for Advanced Digital Cinematography

WAYNE, NJ (September 8, 2009) – JVC Professional Products, division of JVC U.S.A., announced today that Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications in Ithaca, N.Y., has purchased 20 JVC GY-HM700 ProHD camcorders for its TV production and cinematography courses.

“Right out of the box, the JVC GY-HM700 produces a gorgeous image with a very pleasing color palette. But what closed the deal for us is this camcorder’s exceptional price/performance ratio and low total cost of ownership,” said Phillip Wacker-Hoeflin, cinema production support engineer.

Two of the JVC GY-HM700 camcorders have been outfitted with P+S Technik MINI35 Compact image converters and Nikon photographic lenses to achieve 35mm optical geometry without the expense of 35mm motion picture cameras and prime lenses. The two units are also outfitted with motion picture matte boxes and follow-focus systems. With the GY-HM700’s progressive HD scanning and creative features such as RGB gamma curve and color saturation, the setup allows students to produce content with an appealing 35mm film look and film judder.

“With its enormous creative latitude and removable lenses, we’ve devised a very innovative strategy that turns these HD camcorders into virtual 35mm motion picture rigs for advanced digital cinematography applications for a fraction the cost,” said Wacker-Hoeflin. “Considering the escalating costs of 35mm motion picture film and processing, as well as high-end digital cinematography gear, we would not be able to prepare our students for today’s demanding film and television business without such a creative, cost-effective solution.”

The film-like images are recorded in real time onto SDHC solid-state media as native QuickTime files for a quick shoot-to-edit workflow. Because almost all the school’s edit bays use Apple Final Cut Pro editing software, Wacker-Hoeflin said the native file recording was a very big advantage. Student films are burned to Blu-ray or DVD – or stored on a 24 TB media server – and screened using a Christie digital HD projector in the school’s 220-seat auditorium.

Approximately 30 students in the “Advanced Cinematography” course will have access to the two modified units. The remaining 18 GY-HM700 camcorders will be used by undergraduate students taking classes in the Department of Television-Radio as well as the Department of Cinema, Photography, and Media Arts.

The new GY-HM700 camcorders replace Sony DSR-300 and JVC GY-DV500 standard definition camcorders that have been in service for many years. “We felt it was imperative to shift away from these tape-based systems to an all-digital, tapeless workflow, as well as to give our students a solid understanding of widescreen HD production,” said Wacker-Hoeflin. “The HM700 camcorder’s affordability is especially advantageous because it lets us put these HD camcorders into the hands of far more students.” 

ABOUT ROY H. PARK SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS
The Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., offers four-year undergraduate degrees in seven fields including: Cinema and Photography, Documentary Studies and Production, Film, Photography and Visual Arts, Game Design, Journalism, and Television-Radio; as well as a master’s degree in communications. The Roy H. Park School of Communications makes its home in Roy H. Park Hall, a high-tech facility on campus that gives students access to state-of-the-art tools for realizing their creative visions. With 1,300 students and 60 faculty members, the school is a national leader in the field of communications education. For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/rhp.

ABOUT JVC U.S.A.
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC U.S.A. is a division of JVC Americas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Victor Company of Japan Ltd. JVC distributes a complete line of video and audio equipment for the consumer and professional markets. For further product information, visit JVC’s Web site at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800)526-5308.

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