There is more to collecting evidence and information from individuals than just words. Whether you are taking an in-person or remote deposition, the words of the witness are not all that needs to be captured. Long gone are the days when a simple written or audio transcription of a deposition was considered “good enough” to win a case. If you want to relay compelling evidence, you need to capture the moment with legal video and need a talented legal videographer working for your firm. Here are a few reasons why you need professional videotaped deposition services from an EcoScribe videographer.
Body Language and Facial Expressions
When someone is relaying important information for your case, you want to ensure that anyone evaluating the witness’ deposition is getting the entire picture. More and more significance is given to the expressions and mannerisms that witnesses use when telling their side of the story. A written transcript does not show empathy, anger, grief or smug expressions that may be evident, nor nervous face-touching or genuine tears. Legal video brings the witness into the courtroom in a way that no transcript can, but you also need a professional videographer to ensure the video in question will be admissible, high-quality and in the right format.
Extensive Remote Depositions
Remote depositions are now the go-to method versus in-person. The last few years have made remote depositions a necessity as court proceedings went digital during courthouse shutdowns. Most law firms have learned that it can be more efficient and even accurate than meeting witnesses in person – that is, when you have a talented videographer and the technical assistance needed. Legal video is not just about capturing depositions but also about ensuring that the right equipment is used. Legal videos need to be of the highest HD quality, and you need the expertise to share the file with remote counterparts, which an experienced legal videographer can provide.
Meeting Legal Criteria
Simply capturing a video of a deposition is not enough to meet all legal criteria. Cutting corners by trying to compile your video in-house with an intern who claims to be a novice videographer is not a wise choice. You need a legal record that will be accepted as evidence, which involves much more than just downloading a video conference or recording it through a tablet, phone or computer.
Legal videographers utilize the correct hardware and software to ensure the video will meet the criteria needed for it to be admissible. They also know how to create concise videos that are focused, high-quality and unbiased. They can stop proceedings if they notice the audio or video is not capturing correctly and ensure no side-talk or unnecessary conversation is included. Only the admissible portion of the proceeding is relayed, with all off-record conversations deleted for accuracy.
It Is the Videotaped Deposition Age
If you think legal videos are often unnecessary, consider the generations of children, teens and young adults that will be the witnesses and jurors of the future. This is the age of video and audio transcription will not be compelling to generations raised on watching videos.
If you want the highest quality legal video, you need the best videographer. At EcoScribe, we offer videotaped deposition services performed by our talented, experienced videographers. Contact us the next time you are performing a remote deposition and need a trustworthy legal videographer to create a precise, admissible legal video.
