Gone are the days when Court Reporters used to write down
every word during a deposition. In a world dominated by technology it would be
a shame if we still follow the methods that we used half a century ago. With
the luxury of videos available with us, depositions take place using a video
providing a clearer picture to the jury and for future reference.
It is important to make sure that the video depositions
takes place properly so as to provide the best possible picture in front of the
jury. Some tips that you must keep in mind while making one are as followed,
1. The basic deposition setup comes first which includes
properly communicating with your videographer and letting him know your
priorities for the depositions. This might include things such as camera angle,
amount of light, microphone setup and exposure on the witness.
2. Make sure you cross-check the setup again by looking at
the videographers camera to check how your client looks on the camera.
3. The microphone placement must be such that the voice is
perfectly clear for a judge to hear, if there is anything which hinders its
quality please make sure you change it.
4. Also, if the microphone is on your cloths make sure that
you remember to not cross your hands and ruin the audio quality.
5. During the
deposition, the most important thing to remember is ‘One speaker at a time’.
Make sure no two people speak together.
6. If you have to show some physical object in the video,
hold it up and wait for your videographer to properly capture it. Do not move
it until videographer’s instruction.
7. And most importantly, video depositions are a live event;
do not ruin it by forgetting something. Keep notes if needed, but do not mess
it up.
