Legal Videographers?

[<Anyone>]

What is the correct job title for a person who shoots depositions, wills, testimony ect...And has anyone done this sort of job on the side for a little extra $. How did you get started, and was it worth it? Any suggestions. Thanks. Maybe Terry can help me out with this one. ;)

[NewsJunkie]

I have done depositions in the SF area. The money is good and I do a few jobs a month. I got into it from a friend who new someone who was looking for a contract videographer. She supplies the equipment and calls me a few days before the job. Deposistion work is done on svhs and recordered to two decks.
I became a California Notary as some deposition firm require this.
Bill

[<Ray Etheridge>]

"Legal Deposition Cameraman" is
one designation.

There is usually a set fee, and you
would need to work with a lawyer
or company that is established to
do that.

You will need to be "certified" to
do that. (Which is an easy process).
Call one of the companies in your
yellow pages and ask them questions
about it. The work is easy and the
money is very good. ;)

[Terry E. Toller]

Sorry, I have never looked into it. I am more interested in the filing of commplaints and the follow up legal documentation required to secure justie...

[Currentchief]

I had a Legal Video business for 5 years. I was located about 75 miles south of Terry.

I charged $85/hr which was high for my area, but I never screwed up, I had good gear and I was always prepared(which I couldn't say for my competition). People would tell me I charged too much then return a week later when the cheap outfit they went with couldn't produce the quality they required.

I shot depos, reenactments, expert inspections, scene inspections, some still photography and diagramming.

I was a member of the American Guild of Court Videographers (Member number 909!) and there are a few others. Get

[Currentchief]

I got cut off, but you get the point.

E-mail me of you need more info.

[Terry E. Toller]

I have done some reenactments and it was fun. One was a double murder in a car. three guys get into an arguement during a drug deal on one guy pulls a gun. the guy he was going to shoot took the gun and shot the other two. I actually had the muzzel flash and the sides of the heads blown away using ulead's video paint.

the video was for the defense and the guy was convicted... Oh well, the video was great!

[Currentchief]

I saved a guy from 15 extra years in prison by freezing a frame and blowing up the silhouette of the "gun" he was using to rob a 7-11.

I was able to compare its unique shape to a variety of pellet guns and matched it to a Crossman product. Not close enough to swear to it in court, but close enough to create doubt as to whether or not he used a gun at the actual robbery (they found the pellet gun at his house, but no real gun).

Apparently, using a fake gun vs. a real gun is the difference between 7 years in prison or 23 years in prison. And the idiot kid was only 18...

[Currentchief]

Oh, the video came from the surveillance camera and I had only the one frame. The camera took one frame every 10 seconds and the tape had been recorded over 1,000's of times so you can imagine the quality of the image.

[addixicon]

Ive done a lot of these, but nobody told me I needed to be certified (Im in VA though). 2 cams is the way to go, lock 1 down wide in the conference room, showing all parties involved. Situate your other cam and operator where you can get tight on all those who wil be speaking. This way if you miss someone speaking, or people are talking over eachother, you will have a safety shot. My favorite mic setup was two table stands, one facing each direction (when sitting at a conference table). I have also done worker's comp and disability type cases, where the plaintiff is documented in their daily routine, with emphasis on how hard it is for them to get around etc. These are admissable in court, but rarely. Whenever doing these, make sure all raw tape is saved, you keep a copy, and make a dub for the law firm. I wish I had charged $85 an hour, cuz I never screwed it up. I only got $50/hr.

[C St. SW]

There is a certification process offered by the NCRA - National Court Reporter's Association...you can find out more here:

http://clvs.ncraonline.org/steps.shtml

Once certified, you can add 'CLVS' to your title as a 'certified legal video specialist' within the NCRA. May not mean much, but in the legal world, any kind of 'recognized' accreditation isn't a bad thing.

[<SnoozPhotog>]

I've shot over 100 depos...but now I've gotten back into TV news.

You don't need to be certified. There are two organizations that certify you--but it's mainly for your own advertising purpose (you can tell court reporters or attornyes that you're certified.) But in reality you DON"T need to be certified (I'm a CLVS).

Yes, Legal Videography can be a potentially lucrative job. I was charging anywhere from $80 to $125 an hour for depos. I once had a 12-hour depo at $125/hr..so you can see what you can make in one day.)

But there are four serious drawbacks to the career, in my opinion.

1) Yes, you can make a$1K a day. But there were weeks on end when I wasn't scheduled/called upon for a single depo! So it can be feast-or-famine.

There are usually several people in any given city who are already established doing legal video--and these people tend to get called repeatedly by the area lawyers and court reporters (Think about it: If you were a lawyer or CR and needed a depo shot, wouldn't you call someone who's a known entity, rather than someone who's just gotten into the business?)

2) VIDEO DEPOSITIONS ARE EXTREMELY BORING!!!
Put it this way: It's like doing a 7,8 or 12-hour talking head interview. You're not allowed to zoom or pan...and everything is shot medium (not like the typical "interview" shot we do in TV news.) Plus, it's not like "L.A. Law" or "CSI", where on TV all attorneys have exciting cases and are in tense confrontations. No--it's all boring...lots of legal mumble-jumble...very minute details...lots of cases about wrongful termination, or personal injury stuff. I can't tell you how many times I nearly fell asleep shooting.)

3) Getting started will set you back at lesat $20K to start: You need a camcorder, mixer, lav mics, lots of tapes, cassette recorder,..and the ability to make dubs or edit.

4) It will take time and money to get launched--lots of phone calls, trips to Kinko's for flyers/business cards/brochures advertising your business. Lots of cold-calling, pounding the pavement shaking hands...sweet-talking court reporting firms. Everyone will be skeptical of using you because they don't know you. You have to put in A LOT of work & energy just getting your name out.

I can't imagine trying to do legal video on a part-time basis while doint TV news. Many depos can last all day, so even though you won't start your niteside TV news shift till 2:30pm, many depos would still be on-going--and you CAN'T cut a depo short because "I have to go to work now."

Good luck!

[<Legal Begal>]

I'm doing it now!

I had an un-timly departure from TV news. Found part time work at a prod house. Am now a contract worker but pull 35 hours a week so I am doing well.

I usually shoot 3 depositions for them a week. They charge $125 an hour. High yes, but a doc I helped depose yesterday charges $650 an hour as a witness... Maybe I should have gone to med school..

Anyway, we don't screw up so we get a calls all the time. We use 3 mics into a small mixer and then into a miniDV cam. A court reporter handles all of the exhibits and specific legal work. I show up, set up and shoot. We offer VHS and DVDs for those on the go.

Anyway, you can get into it pretty easy. Call a court reporter and make a friend. When they have a deposition that needs video they schedule the shooter, which could be you. Try that route. It's kind of boringwork, but very easy money and you likely have enough gear to get started.

[NewsMan]

Oh dear god... only on a day I had nothing else would I subject myself to such torture...

[<Anyone>]

Thanks for all the valuable information! :)

[cinehead]

It depends on the state. In Pennsylvania, you have to be certified as a court reporter. That means taking a test and passing a state exam. Also, they have a very specific procedure you must follow. If you don't the deposition could be thrown out.

The good part about that, is it narrows "the pool" and enable those that are certified to be very well paid. Basic supply vs. demand. Many other states have no requirements.

[Currentchief]

Certification is NOT a must in some states, but given the choice, and all things equal, who would you choose, certified or not? It cost me less than $100.