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The Salvation Army Equips New Media
Center with Panasonic AG-HPX500 Camcorders, AV-HS400A Multi-Format
HD/SD Switcher
July 31, 2009
Source: Panasonic
Media Ministry
Shoots Field Footage with AG-HPX300 P2 HD Camcorders
Earlier this year, the Salvation Army USA
Eastern Territory equipped its new Gregg Media Center with
three Panasonic AG-HPX500 P2 HD camcorders in studio configuration,
an
AJ-HPM110 P2 Mobile recorder/player and AV-HS400A multi-format
HD/SD switcher. More recently, the Eastern Territory Media
Bureau purchased two AG-HPX300 P2 HD camcorders to handle
its varied field production needs.
Founded by William Booth in England in 1865, the Salvation
Army, one of the world’s most recognizable and revered
service organizations, is a faith-based, non-profit dedicated
to serving people in need without discrimination.
The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Media Bureau is located
at the Territorial Headquarters in West Nyack, NY. The Bureau
supports 14=20 northeastern states from Maine to Delaware,
veers west to Kentucky and Ohio, and also includes Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Army
has 400 Corps Community Centers and 40 Adult Rehabilitation
Centers in the East, and the Media Bureau’s work supports
all these locations with a variety of videos, whose topics
range from Social Services, Emergency Disaster, Youth Camps
and Youth Ministry, Seniors’ programs, fund raising and
various public relations projects.
According to Jeffrey Schultz, Director of
Media Ministry for the Army USA Eastern Territory, all the
Panasonic gear has been used extensively to produce capital
campaign videos promoting the establishment of Ray and Joan
Kroc Corps Community Centers. (In 2003, Joan Kroc, the widow
of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, left $1.5 billion to the Army,
the largest single gift given to any charity at one time,
designated to build a series of state-of-the-art Corps Community
Centers nationwide.) Schultz explained that in the 1600 sq.
ft. Gregg Media Studio, one of the HPX500s is set up on a
jib, with the other two on pedestals. The P2 Mobile and HS400A
switcher reside in the control room.
“Most of our work is pre-recorded,”
Schultz said. “In the studio, we can either record in-camera
to DVCPRO HD, or utilize the cameras’ HD-SDI out to record
in AVC-Intra 100 to the HPM110 P2 Mobile recorder. In the
field, we exclusively shoot 1080p AVC-Intra 100 with the HPX300s.”
“We’ve attended the past several
NABs, and watched the evolution of P2 HD with great interest,”
Schultz said, “but had no firm plans to upgrade from
our Betacam SP and DVCAM acquisition. That all changed once
the Gregg Media Center became a reality. With the funding
to purchase new gear, we were pre- conditioned to choose Panasonic.”
“We were somewhat nervous about switching
from tape-based formats, but were thrilled with the quick
turnover to P2 production,” he continued.
“The P2 workflow is easy, it’s
much quicker to download footage into our Final Cut Pro Studio
editing system, and the image quality is outstanding.”
Schultz said finished videos are typically
distributed throughout the territory on DVDs. He does send
QuickTime files to the public relations departments in various
states’ headquarters, who in turn often use the material
to submit as B roll to local television stations.
“The PR staffs feel much more comfortable doing this
since we’ve upgraded to P2,” he added.
Schultz, an 18-year Army veteran, said his staff of seven
is all comfortable shooting and editing P2. “We have
been so pleased with the service from Panasonic to help us
with any questions, training and all-round support,”
he said. “We made the right decision going Panasonic.”
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