Legal Video Services
Video Settlement Documentaries
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
A (VSD) video settlement documentary is a new genre of video documentaries that has was born and continues to grow in Northwest Arkansas.
A VSD is an all-inclusive presentation that presents liability and/or damages to the legal teams, adjusters or claims committee at, or prior to, mediation for the purpose of resolving a claim. The purpose is to enhance the recovery for the injured party/parties that covers their past, present and future needs.
We tell your client's story from a different perspective. We use interviews, graphics, and the evidence to put a timeline together in a broadcast style documentary.
Opposing counsel will have an understanding of what will be presented at trial and a chance to re-evaluate the case before mediation.
Because these videos and presentations are strictly confidential, video's can only be made available upon special request.
Click here to submit your request for more information.
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
What is a "Day in the Life Video?"
An ADL video is an unflinching portrait of your client's activities of daily living and their struggles to complete the simplest of tasks. So if law firms are involved in a case that has impacted someone's activities of daily living, then an ADL video is necessary for your case.
It can highlight how determined your client is to maintain a sense of independence, which will allow the audience to emotionally connect with your client.
What can be most compelling is how your client succeeds in finding ways to still successfully engage in simple activities such as cooking a meal, playing with their child or going to the store.
Drone Video & Photography
What is "A Day in the Life Video" (ADL)?
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
An image from above can speak a thousand words. Being able to see an entire location can provide perspective to many situations. Whether it's a trucking accident you are trying to explain, an industrial incident, or a real estate issue, an aerial image can most certainly bring clarity to your case.
With our drones, we are able to fly at up to 400' to assist with grasping the entirety of what is needed to give clarity for your case.
Sure, you could use a free tool like Google Maps or Google Earth, but did you know that those images might be months or even a couple years old? In that case the aerial image may not accurately depict your scene accurately resulting in the need to explain what is not accurate in your current image.
Give our office a call to explain your situation and we are happy to let you know how we can help!
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
People, including jurors, have come to expect more than just paper to tell a compelling story.
We all have been spoiled by Hollywood and the technology evolution to help us see and understand simple and complex ideas.
By capturing a witness's body language on video can dramatically increase your case for impeachment purposes. Instead of reading a witness transcript, video can show the jury more with both audio and video impressions.
As seen in court, the way someone answers a question can be as important as the answer itself.
So the importance of redacting and editing video testimony becomes paramount. A video edit done incorrectly destroys the impact of a statement.
Conversely, a video edit done very well can make the point so well that it leaves a lasting impression on the jury.
Independent Medical Exam (IME)
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
Independent Medical Exam (IME)
What is IMR? Independent Medical Review (IMR) is a non-judicial way to resolve disputes about the medical treatment of injured employees. If a request by a treating physician for a specific course of medical treatment is delayed, denied or modified by a claims administrator for the reason that the treatment is not medically necessary, the injured employee can ask for a review of that decision by physician conducted IMR.
Generally, the attorney for the plaintiff will contract with medical professionals to perform the IMR. Then when the exam is scheduled, a videographer will arrive at the exam location and record the exam while staying out of the way as much as possible to record the exam.
Capturing a medical exam on video allows for interested parties to be in the examination room.
Because these videos are strictly confidential, video's can only be made available upon special request.
Construction Documentation
Redacting & Editing Video for Trial
Independent Medical Exam (IME)
Making a video record of the progress or damages made at a construction site gives you the ability to go back in time and show the progression or document the damages in detail.
A key objective of all construction documentation is to preserve a contemporaneous (prepared at the time), accurate, and factual record of what occurred on the project. And, frankly, the credibility of one document adds to the credibility of all your documents. Given the credibility of video, they not only serve to quickly and efficiently document important events, but they also enhance the credibility of all related documents.
Remote Video Depositions
Remote Video Depositions
Remote Video Depositions
Remote video depositions allow for all parties to utilize web-based video conferencing software to execute a deposition remotely. Attorneys can depose a witness who is located in one location and they [attorney] may be located in another location.
What is a Settlement Documentary?
What is it?
Video Settlement Documentary [VSD] is an effective video tool that is specifically designed to preset the most important facts about a case as well as the current status of the parties affected by the underlying event(s). The clearest way to illustrate what a VSD is to point to the countless number of examples you have seen in your adult life when watching an investigative TV show like 60 Minutes, 20/20, and True Crime, just to mention a few. legal video depositions clvs
The purpose of a VSD is to clearly and concisely convey the most important facts about the case. It is a synopsis of what your firm intends to produce at trial. The video may explore issues like liability, damages, or both while being as detailed as necessary to communicate the fact all the while of keeping in mind not to bore the viewer and loose interest.
The VSD is produced with the expectation of helping all parties to arrive at a settlement of the litigation, thereby reducing or eliminating the immense emotional trauma to all parties and to reduce the ongoing costs of the trial for all parties. It is important to note that under normal circumstances, the video will never be played in a courtroom, but it is an exceptionally important part of your presentation in a mediation or arbitration. In many cases, the video settlement documentary is your entire case presentation.
Who Uses a Settlement Documentary?
While there are no thoughtful reasons why a settlement documentary can't be used by both sides in litigation, it has been my experience that primarily the plaintiffs are more prone to request the production of a video settlement documentary. Primarily, the general nature of practicing lawyers who request this type of video production are firms that focus on personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and trucking accidents.
What are some of the source materials needed?
Because this type of video is not evidence, the videographer has greater freedom of expression in the video and is not constrained to those techniques used in a video like a deposition. As one example, the videographer is free to use close-up shots of a friend or family member who is sharing an emotional story where they are expressing tears or anger in the situation they are sharing. Likewise, wide-angle shots can be used when filming the setting of where the incident in question took place while the person being interviewed might be describing it off-camera.
As for specific source materials, I have assembled a list of potential materials that could be used in the video. Although each case is different, my attempt here is not to provide an exhaustive list of materials but rather to initiate the assembling of these materials as some may require time to collect.
Potential Interviews:
- Family
- Friends
- Co-workers, bosses, etc.
- Doctors, Surgeons,
- Physical Therapist(s)
- Police, Sheriff, Detective(s), Witness(s)
- Occupational Rehabilitation Experts
- Life Care Planners
- Counselor(s)
Expert Witness(s)
- Personal Materials:
- Photographs
- Home Movies
- Special Awards, Trophies, Ribbons
- Personal items like a favorite fishing rod, saddle, boots, uniforms, toys, etc.
- Videos from special events like church events, vacation bible school, summer camp, fishing rodeo, horse rodeo, baseball games, football games, soccer games, etc.
Other Materials:
- Hospital records, notes, etc.
- X-rays, MRI, CT, PET, etc.
- News footage or reports
- Police photographs, documents, etc.
- 911 recording(s)
- Field footage shot for/by either side
- Accident reconstruction animations
- Drone footage
Want to know more?
Although this is a lengthy article that I composed based on my experiences in doing documentaries, it is in no way comprehensive. Each case is different and we treat each one as its own case, so the requirements vary from case to case. Click the button below to contact us to find out more and so we may discuss your case with you.
REMOTE VIDEO DEPOSITIONS
HOW TO DO A REMOTE DEPOSITION VIDEO USING ZOOM
Let's get started:
Given that in early 2020, the world has been subjected to the pandemic of COVID-19, everyone has had to rethink everything in our lives from how we connect socially to how we conduct business. As a result, we in the legal services industry have had to adapt as well. We now enter the world of Remote Video Depositions.
Deposition videos are another way to give the jury a perspective of your client’s case. When your client or the deposed lives out of state or in another area, you may have to shoot your deposition video via webcam and web video services, like Zoom.
So how do you shoot a remote video deposition using Zoom?
The best way to do this is by:
- Checking internet connection at both locations
- Having the proper gear, like a webcam and lapel mic
- Setting up a Zoom meeting between the deposed and the prosecuting attorney.
- Shooting a back-up video with a separate camera in case the Zoom video is lost or doesn’t record.
- Prepare and send other documents ahead of time.
These steps may seem like a hassle, but they guarantee that you can capture a quality deposition video even when your subject is in a different location. Before you go out and shoot a remote deposition, be sure that you have a clear understanding of everything and possibly do a test deposition with a couple of friends.
CHECK INTERNET CONNECTION
Zoom is a video web service that requires an internet connection in order to broadcast the attendees to each other. It’s important to have optimal internet connections at all the locations that will be broadcasting a video in order to ensure that there are no interruptions, buffering or dropped frames.
If the internet connection is poor, the broadcasted video may experience a lag or buffering time. This can be frustrating to all the parties involved and can result in an unusable deposition video. That's why testing is important.
In order to get the lawyer-client the best deposition that will help their case in court, set aside a good amount of set-up time where you can communicate with the deposed party to determine the quality of the Zoom video. This means that you might need more than an hour to set up, test and troubleshoot before the deposition begins.
GET THE PROPER GEAR
Having the proper gear for your remote deposition video will make or break your video. It’s important to consider every situation you may run into to make sure that you have all the equipment you need.
When buying gear, cheap is seldom a wise decision. Remember, we are professionals and we must deliver professional results.
Will the video be broadcast via a computer or via TV? Will the computer or the webcam be able to pick up the audio of all the people in the room and relay it through the screen? Questions like these will help you to come prepared for everything you may face on deposition day.
The main pieces of gear and equipment you’ll need in order to shoot a remote video deposition are as follows:
- Laptop
- Webcam
- TV
- HDMI cable
- Zoom software
- Lapel mics that can plug into the computer
- Secondary video camera
A laptop is the main way you will broadcast the Zoom meeting. Even if you plan on projecting the media onto a TV, you have to have a computer to hook up in order to do so.
The webcam hooks to the computer and will give your video more definition and quality rather than relying on the webcam that is built into your computer.
A TV will be used to broadcast to a large audience if need be. If you broadcast on a TV, it will be easier to get a secondary shot for a back-up.
You will need an HDMI cable to connect your computer to a TV if you plan on projecting the meeting that way.
The most vital thing you’ll need is to have the Zoom software downloaded well in advance if your deposition.
Through Zoom, you can schedule, host, and record video meetings. Take as much time as you need to become very familiar or fluent in understanding all of the controls within Zoom and how they will impact the end product.
Sometimes it may be hard for the separate subjects to hear each other over the video call. One way to ensure that your side will be heard is to have a lapel mic that you can plug into your computer. The plugged-in lapel mic can amplify your sound in the video.
Having a secondary video camera onhand will allow you to capture the Zoom meeting and have a back-up in the event that the Zoom meeting fails to record or that the video is somehow lost.
Just make sure that when you set up your secondary camera, you have it angled at whoever is being deposed; whether that’s your side or the side on the screen.
SET UP A ZOOM MEETING
Once you have all your gear in place, the next thing you’ll have to do is set up the Zoom video and meeting. Again, learn Zoom well so you set it up correctly.
One important feature to pay special attention to is the Scheduled Time. If you are doing a deposition that is in another time zone, be sure you check, recheck and check it a third time for the correct start time.
Now, start your video. Choose to invite someone to your video. Copy and paste the link the Zoom gives you and then send it to the contact for the opposite party. Make sure you have allowed Zoom to use your computer audio so that you can be heard in the video. You might want to invest in a quality USB microphone that plugs into your laptop to get high-quality audio.
Once you have both parties on the screen, you will record the video. Whenever a break is called, just make sure that the video is paused so you won’t have to go back and do a lot of editing later.
Once the deposition is over, Zoom will automatically save the video and an audio file to your computer.
SHOOT A BACK-UP
Next, set up your secondary camera. Your secondary camera will serve as a back-up to your Zoom recording. In the event that the Zoom video fails to save or is lost, the secondary camera will have captured the deposition.
Have your secondary camera pointed to the person being deposed, whether that’s on your side or on the screen. If it happens to be the screen, be sure that the whole screen is in your shot.
Your client may be relying on this deposition video in order to help them win in court. Being able to produce a copy no matter what will justify you as a reliable and professional legal videographer.
PREPARE DOCUMENTS AHEAD OF TIME
Sometimes, the prosecuting attorney will have documents and pictures to show the deposed party. Unfortunately, it can be hard to show the deposed party these documents over a video chat, so take a moment ahead of time to forward any images that will be used in the deposition over to the opposite party.
In doing this, you’ll save a lot of time and hassle than you would if you had to call a break to do these things. Just be sure to communicate with the law office in order to get the documents into the proper hands.
dw2 Video Productions is here to provide the services to make your next remote video deposition go as smoothly as possible.
About Us
Redacting for Trial
The importance of redacting and assembling video clips together without careful thought can have a negative impact and confuse the jury and therefore could diminish the impact of their testimony.
Conversely, redacting testimony thoughtfully and skillfully can make the point so well that it leaves a lasting impression on the jury.