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Cameras: News and Updates
PSA Campaign for Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Shot with JVC GY-HD200 PROHD Camcorders Selected by TV Worldwide
By Staff
posted Oct 23, 2009, 16:10 |
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PSA Campaign Honored with 2009 Telly Award
(Wayne, NJ) JVC Professional Products, a division of JVC U.S.A., announces that
TV Worldwide, a pioneering Web-based global TV network in Chantilly, Va., used
two JVC GY-HD200 ProHD camcorders to shoot six 30-second public service announcements
(PSAs) in cooperation with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The PSA campaign,
which can be viewed at TV Worldwide's veteran's affairs Web channel, www.usvets.tv,
was recently awarded a prestigious 2009 Telly Award.
The PSAs, which have been running on local TV, cable, and Internet channels
since May, raise awareness and solicit funds for the construction of The Education
Center at The Wall. The new information center - to be built underground at
The National Mall between the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials in Washington,
D.C. - will provide an in-depth look at the Vietnam War and honor the soldiers
who fought and died in the conflict.
"We chose to shoot with JVC GY-HD200 camcorders because of their superior picture
quality and outstanding performance in difficult lighting and weather conditions,"
said Dave Gardy, Worldwide TV's chairman and CEO. "For critical shots of actor
Tom Selleck walking along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, this camcorder
performed extremely well despite extreme cold and snow, as well as fluctuations
in lighting levels."
Besides location shooting at The Wall, additional segments were shot in Alexandria,
Va., at the office of former U.S. Secretary of State and retired four-star Army
Gen. Colin Powell. In addition to Selleck, who is national spokesman for The
Education Center, and Powell, the fundraising campaign's honorary chair, the
PSAs also feature impassioned pleas for donations by retired Army Gen. Barry
McCaffrey, chairman of the Advisory Board for the Center; Gold Star Mother Ann
Sherman; and Jan Scruggs, Vietnam veteran and founder of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial.
"The biggest production challenge we faced was a very tight shooting schedule.
In fact, all six PSAs had to be shot on Feb. 3, the only day the generals and
Selleck could get together. That left no room for error," said Pete B. Josendale,
vice president of production for TV Worldwide. "Despite lighting, weather, and
logistical challenges, these camcorders performed exceptionally well."
At The Wall, one camcorder was mounted on a Steadicam rig that trucked along
to shoot Selleck's walk alongside the Wall, where he stopped to point to one
of the 58,000 names of the fallen etched on its black granite surface.
"While this camcorder is compact and lightweight, it has a full camera body
- and that proved to be a tremendous asset because we did not have any weighting
issues when setting up the Steadicam. The rig stayed steady and balanced," said
Josendale. "While the Steadicam has a built-in monitor for the operator, the
camcorder's flip-out viewfinder made life easier for our assistant cameraman."
For the production in Powell's office, a second camcorder was mounted on a tripod
and used in conjunction with a prompter, fabric backdrop, and ARRI lighting.
Gardy said TV Worldwide has always used JVC cameras to produce programs for
its veteran's affairs Web channel, including live webcasts of Memorial Day and
Veterans Day ceremonies that have taken place annually at The Wall. While TV
Worldwide usually shoots native 720p HD with the JVC GY-HD200s, they shot this
PSA campaign in SD to satisfy the technical requirements of a broad spectrum
of media outlets.
"We consider our 200s to be our workhorse cameras," added Josendale. "Their
picture quality holds up better than any other cameras we've tried, especially
when down-converted or compressed for Internet distribution."
Resources:
JVC www.pro.jvc.com TV Worldwide's
Veteran's Affairs Web Channel www.usvets.tv
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