Video Journalist Taps JVC Connected Cam For Aviation Documentary

A storyteller by nature, Annalisa Russell-Smith has been a video journalist for 13 years for a variety of high-profile clients and her work has appeared in media outlets around the world, including the BBC.

Russell-Smith is also a certified drone pilot, and last year became one of the first civilian Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) pilots, enabling her to fly large, work-class drones that may be in another county, or even another continent. Her passion for flying was reignited during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Always eager to share her point of view through the use of captured images, Russell-Smith combined her passions to embark on her latest project — a documentary about the world of aviation and the people who drive it. For this varied and challenging project, Russell-Smith chose the GY-HC550 Connected Cam from JVC Professional Video.

Russell-Smith says she chose the camera not only for the clear, crisp images it captures, but also for its livestream capability for airshows and other events, which enables her to connect with live audiences while simultaneously recording footage for her documentary. “The GY-HC550 appealed to me for my photojournalism work because it gives me the ability to do a live broadcast in such a seamless way,” she explains.

“This is a huge benefit if you’re trying to engage with an audience and gather a following, or even be able to cover something newsworthy that’s happening in real time. We all need technology that works. JVC has developed this camera for exactly the kind of run-and-gun work that I love to do. You don’t want to worry about the settings and the setup of your camera; you need to be able to just use it straight out of the box, which I can do with the GY-HC550.”

In addition, Russell-Smith notes, for a large-scale project such as a documentary, the JVC Connected Cam appealed to her because of its versatility with file formats, frame rates and camera operations. Russell-Smith says that she hadn’t used a standalone video camera before, but rather a DSLR camera for stills and video, so the upgrade to the GY-HC550 has proven to be a great benefit.