Press release from Well Above
The Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) is one of New Zealand’s largest Institutes of Technology/Polytechnics and a leading provider of high quality, vocational and professional education in the Waikato region. With seven campuses throughout the region and a history spanning more than 80 years, Wintec is an integral part of the region, serving the needs of students, employers and the wider community.
One of Wintec’s more popular courses is Moving Image. According to John Mandelberg, Wintec’s Coordinator/Tutor Moving Image at the School of Media Arts, a decision was made recently which would have an impact on the course for the next few years. “My team and I were tasked with coming up with a 5-year plan for Moving Image. In a sense we had to predict future trends for the industry as a whole including editing, cameras, sound, directing, documentary and drama.”
Mandelberg and his team set about researching in which direction the various parts of the moving image industry were going.
He added, “We looked at all the best hardware and software packages. It was critical to be ahead of the game in order to create the best programme for the students. One of the key areas we investigated was HD. Critically we needed to know if the school could afford it and also how to make it easy and affordable for the students in terms of the recording media they would have to buy.”
Mandelberg already had some experience with JVC ProHD cameras having previously worked with both GY-HD101E and GY-HD200E models. He said, “I really liked the ProHD cameras and that helped when we did our research as I knew what I could expect. We also tried every other manufacturer’s comparable products evaluating cost versus functionality. This included reading assessments given by top DOPs, for example the ones who shot the ‘24’ TV series and the JVCs really stood out from the crowd. I particularly liked the fact that you could fit prime lenses. We then looked at the upgraded models and that’s where things really got interesting.”
As Wintec is an educational facility Mandelberg had to be very careful about recommending a new product if the cost of media was going to be prohibitive for students. He explained, “Again, the JVCs won against their competition. We looked at the JVC GY-HM700E and the fact that it uses low cost SDHC cards was a real bonus. I already had two 720p cameras which were great but with the upgraded GY-HM700E I could now also shoot in native .mov, quickly transfer into Final Cut Pro™ and back up to DVD so easily and seamlessly, it was a major step up.”
As Wintec’s Moving Image courses include editing Mandelberg saw real advantages with the fact that the GY-HM700E (and its sister model the GY-HM100E) could record files directly to solid state media in the native format used by Apple's Final Cut Pro™ editing system and in XDCAM-EX format for use with other editing systems.
Mandelberg said, “There is big value in being able to shoot to edit straight away. That is a big plus for the students. Also the students really enjoy the over cranking and under cranking possibilities for slow-mo and sharper crisper movement you get with the GY-HM700E. It’s also very easy to import into After Effects.”
The GY-HM700E cameras were sold to Wintec by JVC’s NZ dealer Gencom Technology. Mandelberg said, “Gencom brought a few different cameras down for us to test and put through their paces and as we found out, the JVCs won in terms of cost, functionality and future proofing. Gencom were very helpful. In total we purchased six GY-HM700E with Fujinon lenses which makes 8 cameras in total with our existing GY-HD101E and GD-HD200E models.”
According to Mandelberg the GY-HM700E will form the basis of the Moving Image course’s training for the next few years. He concluded, “This year the GY-HM700E is the only camera used on the Moving Image course – it’s that good. We are also looking at studio cameras, as we are building a studio and the JVC’s are again very high on the list as they have a very straightforward studio adaptor pack. We want the students to shoot, live edit and post edit too. With JVC’s native FCP workflow, this is a real and cost effective possibility. In all honesty the students love the JVC GY-HM700E cameras. They are so easy to use and with their multi-set ups that you can dial into the system, it’s very simple to load up different looks. They have already shot several short films with them and they were over the moon – the images looked fantastic on the big screen. I really believe that for the money, there is no better camera on the market.”