The cameras are used to produce reality-based shots that convey the urgency of show's theme. America's Most Wanted also uses the GY-HD200s (www.jvc.com/pro) to shoot features for AMW Safety Center, a Website (www.amw.com/safety) where people can share safety tips and discuss how to keep families safe. The show produces features that the public can download to educate themselves on various situations in which they might find themselves.
Show producer Chris Hamilton says they first saw the GY-HD200 at NAB, and were immediately impressed with the camera's form factor and interchangeable lens capability. "The fact that we could shoot reenactments in 24p was one of the determining factors," he notes. "This camera is an affordable way for us to capture that film-look without having to actually shoot on film. The life-like footage gives us that sense of urgency we are trying to deliver to our audience."
The show recently traveled to London to shoot a "World's Most Wanted" episode for November sweeps. "We were able to shoot with a lightweight, shoulder mountable camera that allowed us to run around all day and not struggle like we did before with our larger, heavier cameras," explains producer Gavin Portnoy.
Several weeks ago, a breaking news story led the team to produce a reenactment piece just an hour before the show aired. "We used the GY-HD200 to shoot the reenactment in our garage. It matched with footage shot previously and integrated seamlessly into the broadcast. It looked great!" recalls Portnoy.
AMW uses JVC's BR-HD50U recorder/player and recently purchased Firestore's hard disk drive to use with the GY-HD200s so that they can ingest material directly in a more file-based system.