What’s the difference between a court videographer and wedding videographer? Just for starters, how about a penchant for confidentiality and experience in courtroom proceedings? A courtroom videographer usually specializes solely in this type of filming. It requires state-of-the-art equipment, since you can’t risk a botched microphone during a deposition or questioning of a witness. While it’s unfortunate in a wedding video when your great uncle gives the toast of a lifetime and there’s no sound, that’s simply unacceptable with a court video.
Court videographers understand not just legal processes, but also common challenges in places like law firm conference centers and courtrooms. They come armed with extra cables, battery power and backup memory cards and microphones just in case. They excel at blending into the background while still capturing every nuance. They’re the ultimate fly on the wall, but have the capacity to provide evidence of every second.
Why Not Just Anyone Will Do
In some cases, courthouses may provide their own videographers, but that’s becoming less and less common. Increasingly, especially now that demand filming is being created at the drop of a hat, legal offices are scrambling to secure their own high-quality court videographers. It doesn’t make sense for firms to have their own on staff and at the ready 24/7, which means outsourcing is a must.
However, outsourcing your court videography isn’t like outsourcing your customer service. Specialists at legal firms trust videographers with some of the most precious evidence and archives imaginable. Just like court reporters, nobody can substitute when it comes to legal videography.
What to Expect
If you have a responsible and skilled court videographer on call, you’ll get:
- Fast turnaround: In commercial videography, it’s not uncommon to wait up to three months after an event for a copy of the final cut. That’s not going to fly with legal proceedings. In fact, 24-hour turnaround (or less!) is sometimes necessary.
- Skilled editing: Even though the tape might be rolling during an entire meeting, most people don’t actually want to watch an hour of an empty courtroom while everyone goes to lunch. A videographer will edit out any extraneous footage without altering the outcome of the tape.
- Extremely high quality: Did that witness say he or she did or didn’t see the accused in a certain location? Many issues can interfere with sound and video quality, including the equipment, voices, unexpected noises and more. A good court videographer will anticipate these issues and work around them.
- Plenty of legal experience: Hire right and you’ll be sure that the videographer has logged ample time in a courtroom or other legal realm. They’re used to the best practices, know what to expect, understand how to pack their equipment to avoid being held up when checking in and may even be acquainted with fellow courtroom staffers.
When you need a court videographer, only the best will do and this is no time to gamble, so do your homework and make sure you hire an experienced, reputable professional.