Moving Pictures Worth Thousands Of Words - Connecticut Law Tribune
09.01.09
Moving Pictures Worth Thousands Of Words
From short clips to polished productions, videos gain foothold in courtrooms
By DOUGLAS S. MALAN
When presenting cases to mediators and juries, lawyers are benefiting from their decisions to become amateur film producers.
Increasingly, edited videos that include depositions and interviews with family members and friends of accident or crime victims are becoming commonplace in courtrooms. The videos can be used to contradict a witness’s testimony on the stand or capture the human element of a tragedy. They’re also used as transitional devices for attorneys who make a point to a jury and then show a quick video clip of an expert witness, for example, to support that point.
Proponents believe that taking their case into the multi-dimensional realm of full-color images and video not only captures jurors’ and judges’ attention, but it drives home a case with greater impact.
Source: Connecticut Law Tribune, Hartford