Questions To Ask A Videographer When Booking Legal Video

1. Is my assigned videographer a “Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS)” as recognized by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)?

There are other legal video certification programs out there, but this is arguably the most rigorous and the only one recognized by the NCRA, the same organization that has certified your court reporter. It requires a candidate to attend classes, pass a written test and pass a production examination. The written test includes knowledge of the laws of civil procedure, meaning that the person who shows up for your job has a grounding in the protocol required for legal admissibility of evidence in a court of law. The production exam tests each candidate’s proficiency using the equipment and troubleshooting during a mock deposition. The CLVS certification process involves time and money, so you know you are getting a videographer committed to the legal profession and not just a wedding videographer trolling for fill-in work.

2. How long have you or your company been offering legal video?

This is not fail-proof, but generally if a legal video business has survived for a lengthy period of time, they have repeat clients and offer credible service. The field of legal video first appeared in the late 1970s. If you are particularly concerned, don’t be afraid to ask for references---and follow up. If you are looking for a service other than a standard video deposition, be sure and ask about the firm’s length of experience with that particular service, e.g. independent medical examination (IME), day-in-the-life, construction site inspection, legal video edits, etc.

3. What kind of equipment do you shoot on?

If this is for a video deposition, you want someone that will set up a professional model camera on a tripod connected to equipment (e.g. a DVR) to record a backup video simultaneously. Shooting on smaller cameras is appropriate for vehicle inspections and IMEs where the videographer may have to move around a lot or fit into tight spaces.

If someone offers to shoot in standard definition, that is acceptable for most depositions, but a videographer should have HD (High Definition) capabilities should you need the extra resolution for an IME, Picture-In-Picture deposition, or otherwise. You should not have to pay extra for this improved resolution.

4. What are your fees?

This can be tricky. Virtually all firms will quote you an hourly production fee, e.g. $X per hour for labor. Ask whether that hourly production fee applies only to videotaping time or whether you also have to pay for the time it takes the videographer to set up and take down equipment. Ask if there is a minimum time requirement. Many firms have a 2, 3 or 4 hour minimum that you will have to pay even if the actual videotaping time runs only a few minutes.

Besides production fees, be sure and ask about costs for your preferred end product: e.g., MPEG-4. If you are interested in having a video deposition synchronized with the court reporters transcript, ask what the cost is for that. Some firms charge by the hour for syncing time, others charge by the tape or disc.

Ask about any archival costs. For example, Arizona requires that the videographer store a copy of the video deposition or legal proceeding for 10 years. If the deposition site is in a different city than where the legal video firm is located, ask about mileage charges.

4. What length of media do you shoot on?

Some firms still shoot on tapes. Some even still shoot on 1-hour tapes. Besides added interruptions to change tape during a deposition, 1-hour tapes can actually be more expensive in terms of end product costs. More tape changes mean more billable production time, compounding the cost.