Synchronized Videotaped Depositions
Imagine yourself in the courtroom, you are cross-examining the plaintiff (or defendant), and he or she says something contradictory to his or her previously recorded deposition testimony. Normally, you would attempt to impeach that individual by having her read back her inconsistent testimony from the deposition transcript and the jury would get the general picture. But what if, instead, you were able to play back a video of the plaintiff making those same statements as if she had just said them? Not only would the jury SEE the plaintiff making those conflicting statements, but they would also SEE the text from the transcript contradicting the words she just said. With the advent of synchronized videotaped depositions ("synced videos"), this is now a possibility.
A synced videos is a transcript that has been synchronized to the videotaped deposition so that the videotaped deposition and the transcript can be played back simultaneously together. As many attorneys know, pinpointing a specific word or phrase in a video for play back can be difficult. Fast-forwarding and rewinding can be time consuming and frustrating. Stopping a video at the wrong moment can be devastating. Synchronizing a transcript to the videotaped deposition eliminates all of that. Plus, it provides the attorney with several other beneficial tools for viewing and playing your videotaped deposition.
Benefits of synced videos include:
- Instantly search your video for a particular word or phrase
- Highlight key portions of the transcript/video for easy review and recall
- Annotate key portions the transcript/video for easy review and recall
- Easily create clips to impeach a witness or to show to the jury
- Create and share still images from the video
- Show text and video at the same time to help provide clarity to a witness's testimony
Synced videos are the ultimate addition to an attorney's arsenal. They provide attorneys with the ability to instantly search and locate important portions of the videotaped deposition, which is pivotal when presenting at trial. Synced videos allow attorneys to show and play the testimony for the judge and jury, increasing retention and recall. Synced videos can also be uploaded to Sanction, TrialDirector, and LiveNote, providing attorneys with even more ways to use them. Contact your court reporter or court reporting firm to find out more about compatibility and formatting options.
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