J.A. Cinema is all about films.
We are a full-service film production company specializing in film entertainment, commercial advertising, and branded content. We are here to meet your needs in any area of film from conceptualization to editing.
Here’s a bit of our history.
Today
We’ve already started off this year strong by filming live music videos for the band Memory Cage, creating promotional ads for the Passaic County Film Festival & Commission, and are continuing our work in the non-profit sector. Excited to see where else this year brings us!
2024
In 2024, J.A. Cinema documented the massive wildfires that hit the New York tristate area. We also captured content in California and Hawaii, created videos for the non-profit Westside Presbyterian Church and continued to assist Incurrent Media on various projects.
2023
J.A. Cinema filmed and released branded content for several financial advisors under Janney Montgomery Scott. We also captured both video and photo content for BMW’s Zee Central Virginia Roadsters & Coupes Chapter and assisted BraveMakers Shop on various industrial shoots for hospitals such as Montefiore and Mass General.
2022
For the year 2022, we continued to grow and striving to further our communities in the process. J.A. Cinema completed Art Direction in conjunction with BraveMakers Shop for several industrial medical shoots including SilverCloud Health, as well as social media campaigns for the mobile telephone company, Nokia, with Incurrent Media. We’ve even expanded our business to include family & pet portrait films, and photography products such as portraits & headshots to aid businesses in showing who’s behind the scenes of what they do. J.A. Cinema now also offers VHS and Mini DV transfer to digital.
2021
In a not-so-quite post-pandemic world, we were still out there hustling while staying safe. In 2021, J.A. Cinema assisted the art department on the set of the film Tender Ears by Incurrent Media. We also directed and released a short, comedic narrative about a woman’s relational struggle with coffee and time management. Then we premiered 2 more conceptual films for non-profit organizations.
2020
The second half of our first year in business had some unexpected challenges with a global pandemic… but we didn’t plan to let that stop us!
Instead, we adjusted to provide a healthier and safer working environment and opened availability to remote work while seeking ways to aid those in our community. J.A. Cinema hosted a giveaway for local small businesses to receive a 20-second video promoting their brand at no cost to them. Check out the video Holistic Nutrition Coach, Chrissy D, won here!
In 2020, we also released a short narrative that was filmed and edited completely remotely between all cast and crew members. Then J.A. Cinema edited and premiered a short documentary from the protests and rallies we attended in support of black lives to help amplify melanated voices. J.A. Cinema also filmed & live-streamed memorial services for families whose loved ones passed while Covid gathering restrictions were still in place.
Throughout 2020, we also released 3 more conceptual pieces, directed a video of a socially distanced church gathering at a local baseball stadium, filmed and released a marketing video for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, and even won a couple awards with our work in film festivals and photography competitions to top it off!
2019
In May 2019, J.A. Cinema was officially launched! Our founder, Jessica, had been working at a local camera store and left to pursue filmmaking full-time (scroll down to learn a little bit more about her!).
Thus began the process of setting up shop, dropping a website, ordering business cards and seeking clients. In our first year, J.A. Cinema released a series focused on roadtripping in a VW Westfalia around the east and down south. Find it here!
Additionally, we premiered a short documentary on a local musician, started filming a feature version of it, released an editorial piece styled in the vein of Vogue, and also a 4-part conceptual series.
For some highlights of our work, please view the video below.
J.A. Cinema 2019 demo reel
WHO WE ARE
Integrity
Honesty and truth are the foundation for integrity. We seek to maintain a sense of transparency when it comes to your project; cost, deadlines, execution. We are also loyal to our clients ensuring a faithful commitment in seeing projects through to their completion and satisfaction.
Purpose
We seek to complete tasks and projects with intentionality. Everything we do is driven with the central purpose of the project at hand in an effort to accomplish pieces with meaning. This can most clearly be seen in our style. As a production company, our work is motivated with short and feature films in mind. You can be sure your company’s project will have a high quality of cinema to the style while also reflecting who you are as we collaborate together.
Growth
We know as a company, vision can be a challenge. And at times we may even fall short of that intentionality we strive for as described above. But if we are growing as we learn, we can still achieve success. We aim to see growth in our: Relationships, Business, and Personal Lives
Jessica Arena
Lover of movies, Founder and Director of J.A. Cinema, Jessica Arena, has been involved in professional production since graduating with her Bachelor’s in Media & Cinema Studies in 2011. Jessica is not only a Director, but an Actress and a Model as well. Arena has always had a love for the visual arts and acquired experience working on feature films, short films, documentaries, television, stop-motion animation, and content creation.
J.A. Cinema intends to be an extension of that; working closely with business-to-customer clients as well as producing original entertainment pieces.
Contrary to popular hipster culture, and just culture in general, Jess does not drink coffee or tea, but is very fond of hot chocolate and chocolate milk. You can often find her traveling and car camping with her 2-door 1999 green Jeep Cherokee Sport (which she works on herself), and sometimes a doggo.
Photo by Melissa Mattson of Melissa Joy Media
If you would like to collaborate or have any questions, please feel free to let us know.
We would love to work with you.
