JVC for Cinema

[Phil Balsdon]

If you mean doing a “film out” this has been done quite successfully with a number features shot with JVC HD Pro cameras. One that comes to mind is the Australian produced “Gabriel”.

https://news.creativecow.net/story/858596

The progressive scan format of the camera makes it particularly suitable for film transfers. It is a much more complex process to transfer interlaced scanned footage to film. However this process is very expensive, I’ve worked on a couple of features that hoped to go this way but the budget to go to film for cinema release never evolved and final release was limited to DVD.

More important than the technical specifications of the camera though are good lighting and quality audio and most important of all a very good script. The audience will forgive all the technical deficiencies so long as they can clearly hear the dialogue, see a well framed and lit picture and are entertained by a good story.

Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/

[Gary Steward]

Thanks for your response Phil. I had heard of Gabriel (and another called Bull). I guess my main thought was that if I made a film using the camera and (by some freakish luck) it was picked up, would the quality of the footage deteriorate sufficiently to create a print not worth of showing in a cinema.
I understand what you say regarding the script being the key. In fact some of my favorite films are not great visual quality at all (point of reference: Primer).

Currently I’m using the camera for the usual things a filmmaker with a new camera does- short film, ‘test shots’ etc. and Tim Dashwood’s dvd has helped a lot. If the camera can do a decent filmout, then I’m of the opinion that I can comfortably invest some decent money in making a good film, in the hope that at worst a dvd release, at best a limited cinema release