Video depositions can be a very productive technology tool in an attorney’s toolbox. When a witness can’t testify live at a proceeding, a video deposition allows the witness’s testimony to be recorded on video and in a paper transcript.   Video depositions provide several advantages.  Here are just a few:

• Demonstrates a witness’s body language
• Holds the jury’s attention when played back in court
• Brings a witness to trial who cannot attend in person
• Saves costly expert witness fees and travel expenses
• Allows visual view of physical evidence

Once you know you need to schedule a video deposition, how do you go about finding a good quality videographer and court reporter?  You need to know what questions to ask when you call to schedule a video deposition.  Here are a few areas you will want to ask about to ensure you are hiring a good professional legal videographer who has the specialized skills you will need.

6 Questions to Ask Before Scheduling a Video Deposition

1.      Are your videographers certified?

The National Court Reporters Association offers a certification for videographers called the Certified Legal Video Specialist. Videographers with this certification undergo specialized training and are prepared to offer specific services required for legal video.

2.      Do you provide the ability to view exhibits on camera?

Multi-camera taping allows the viewing of both deponent and deposition exhibits at the same time.  The video screen should show the two side by side, replicating an in-person deposition where you would have the exhibits available to review.  With side-by-side viewing, you will be able to see exactly what is being referenced by the witness.

3.      Can you provide courtroom video playback?

If you may wish to play the deposition in the courtroom, you will want to hire a videographer who will come in at the scheduled time and play back the deposition for the judge and jury.  This eliminates you having to put together the technology you will need for playback.  A good videographer will take care of this for you.

4.      Do you provide post-production editing and digitizing?

Post-production editing and digitizing gives you a couple of useful advantages.  The video and transcript will be in sync. On playback, this will allow you to search text within the video. Also, when playing a synced video, you are giving the viewers the chance to see, hear and read the testimony. This reaches each juror on multiple cognitive levels and holds their attention.

5.      Is quality audio captured?

Whether you’re using the video for playback at court or simply for your own trial preparation, good quality audio is a must.  Be sure your videographer uses high quality microphones and equipment to reproduce the audio in the video.

6.      Can I view the deposition as streaming realtime video?

Streaming realtime video allows you the ability to view the video on a computer at most locations that have an internet connection.  The realtime feature means you will be able to be present by video at the deposition as it is happening.

By using these simple questions, you will discover the quality and knowledge level of the videographer you are about to hire.  If a videographer has trouble answering these questions, you may want to consider looking elsewhere. 

Most court reporting firms have a videographer in-house, or have one they have worked with in the past and can recommend.  By using a videographer suggested by your court reporter, you are likely to find one who is experienced in the special needs of legal video depositions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Jones is a court reporter, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Brown & Jones Reporting, Inc. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Google+.

Deposition Reporters– Audio Amplified

Realtime Reporter Jessie Waack

We have all had deposition participants we struggle to hear for various reasons.  You actually have a couple options for monitoring audio during a deposition.

In a video legal deposition, the videographers of Brown & Jones Reporting can run a line from their soundboard which you plug headphones into.  You then have the same audio feed as the videographer does, running through your personal headphones. 

If you tend to be particular about headphones, I would advise carrying your own for comfort.  We have all seen people forget they are wearing microphones.  A sudden sneeze or cough can blow up your eardrums.  A random shuffling of paper can drown out testimony.  By wearing your headphones to the side of your ears, you can diminish the effect the extraneous noises will have.  For this reason, I would recommend avoiding ear buds.  The biggest benefit is that the videographer can turn up a soft spoken person and turn down the loud person so the audio will come out at the same decibel level.

Another option is to monitor your audio through your stenograph machine.  I have an Élan Mira® A3.  On the back of the steno, there is a jack for a microphone and headphones.  I place a glass upside down on the table with Post-Its on top.  I would not recommend putting the microphone directly on the table.  Not only will you hear all the tapping on the table, but you will undoubtedly get paper piled on top of it making this step useless.  The Post-Its are a handy item which prevent the sound from traveling through the glass. 

After the mike is set, I plug my headphones into the back of the steno.  With an audio-capable steno, you can change the steno settings to monitor audio.   I know with the Élan Mira® A3, I can only activate this audio option when I am at the home screen.  For this reason, I always have the steno set with the monitor audio option as “yes.”  You will not use card memory by having this option turned on, although you may use your battery faster.  The downside is I can usually only amplify one person instead of all deposition participants.

After weighing your options, I hope you are able to find one to work for you.  Perhaps this can also inspire you to update an outdated steno to make your depositions a little easier.

Submitted by:

Jessica Waack – Specializing in Realtime Reporting
Registered Diplomate Reporter
Certified Realtime Reporting
Brown & Jones Reporting 

Comprehensive Court Reporting Service | Do you need to conduct a realtime video deposition with the realtime text and the audio feed  streamed to a third-party? 

Blog submitted by Kathy Carter, RMR, CRR

I recently had the opportunity to provide realtime court reporting services for two days of technical expert witness video depositions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  One of the parties was requesting daily copy delivery for these depositions.  The same party also requested that my realtime text and the audio feed be streamed to the Internet for their use. 

 I had provided these streaming services in the past with older technology, but for this deposition Brown & Jones chose to use a new streaming service called LiveDeposition.  LiveDeposition allows streaming to the Internet of realtime text, audio feed, and video; and although this was a video deposition, the video stream was not requested for these particular depositions. 

Overall, the whole process ran very smoothly.  The steps required to connect the feeds to the Internet were fairly simple and easy to understand.  A few clicks of the mouse, and everything was set to go.  Support from LiveDeposition was great.  They got the client set up with everything they required and answered all their questions.  LiveDeposition also monitored the feeds at the beginning of the depositions, just to make sure all was proceeding well.

There was also an attorney who was present in the deposition conference room that requested to be hooked up via CaseViewNet realtime feed.  He hadn’t made prior arrangements, but it was no problem.  I loaded the software on his computer, so he was ready to go and hooked up in seconds. 

In addition, even as I was streaming the realtime text and audio feed to the Internet from the deposition conference room, my computer‑aided transcription program, CaseCatalyst by Stenograph, was also able to send the transcript to a scopist via the Internet to facilitate the daily copy delivery that had been requested.

Well, needless to say, I had to be on my game for this assignment.  At the end of the depositions, I was very happy with the way everything went.  It gives me great satisfaction to be able to provide the kind of computer litigation support services that the legal community today is demanding.  We, as deposition reporters, are definitely keeping up with this litigation technology.  In fact, I think sometimes we are leading the way!!