John Glenn Hall Company


John the Video Man

PO Box 2683 • Boise ID 83701-2683
(208) 345-4120 voice • (208) 345-5629 fax
JohnTheVideoMan@jghco.com
Home Page

 

How to Book a Video Deposition with the John Glenn Hall Company

• Put John Glenn Hall in the notice list. (See the sample below)

• Book your depo with your favorite court reporter firm. (Tell them you want the John Glenn Hall Company for video)

• Fax or email the depo notice to me. (208) 345-5629 fax. johnthevideoman@jghco.com Email is probably best these days.

• On either the same day or on the following day I confirm your booking by faxing back (or emailing back) to you a page of the notice. When I do that, the job is booked in my calendar.

• If you amended or cancel the depo, please let me know with a new fax or email.

Sample Notice

Territory Covered
Five (and sometimes more) fully equipped videographers are ready to accept depo jobs in

Southern Idaho
From Rexburg to Sun Valley to Payette to Grangeville.

Eastern Oregon
All the way over to Baker City

Northern Nevada
Jackpot area.

Rates and Services

Service Description

Price

1st hour deposition

$175.00 (minimum)

Additional hours deposition

$75.00 / hour

DVD copy for adverse counsel.

33 % of ordering attorney's invoice.

Out of Ada County travel time in transit

$ 25.00 / hr

Out of Ada County vehicle transit

$0.45 / mile

Lodging and per diem

At cost

Shipping

Normal: FedEx 2nd Day Econ @ cost

MPEG1 copies

• Delivered on CD ROM or DVD ROM.
• MPEG1 is the file format used for synching the video with the reporter's transcript.
• 35.00 $/hr for each play back hour.

Editing

• $100.00 per edit hr plus blank media costs.
• $50.00/hr to capture video into the computer to prepare for editing.
• It's sure nice to work this into the normal day time schedule, but usually it has to be done over night.
• Apple Final Cut Pro on PowerMac G5.
• If you even suspect that you will require editing for trial then give me a heads up days in advance so that I can get the video into the computer. This saves time in a rush crunch.

 

Equipment Used

Description

Cameras

John the Video Man uses
• Canon XL-1 to record to MiniDV or to a DVCAM recorder.
• A DVD back up disk is made at the same time.
• A second back up recording is made on DVR (hard disk)


Larry the Video Man uses
• Sony cameras to record to MiniDV.
• DVD back up recorder.

Ron the Video Man uses
• Sony camera to record to DVCAM and MiniDV and other tape formats.
• DVD back up recorder.

Tape Formats

• All depos are recorded on video tape. The video is later transfered to DVDs.
• We don't trust DVD recorders for original recording. If the power goes out, a DVD may not be recoverable.A depo could be lost this way.
• MiniDV and/or DVCAM tape formats can be delivered to you or copied to other media formats.

Microphones

• Lots of Sony ECM55 mics. These lavaliere mics are provided to all who speak.

Remember: Not everybody at the depo table feels obligated to wear a microphone. The videographer does not coerce anyone to ware a mic if they don't want to.

Microphone Mixer

• Audio mixers allow adjustment of all speaking voices to the same level so that they all sound good during playback in court

Time / Date stamp

• The time and date are always recorded on the screen unless requested to not do so.

Audio for Court Reporter

• Normally available to court reporter at the deposition's end at no charge.
• MP3 audio on a CD ROM disk or an audio cassette tape.

 

Credit and Terms

IDAHO Attorney Customer

• Open line of credit.

• DVDs delivered or shipped via UPS or USPS without delay.

Out of State Attorney Customers

• Payment is required by check prior to order shipment. You will get an invoice by mail, fax and email.

• DVDs shipped via FedEx 2nd Day Econ unless otherwise requested.

Sample Invoice for Idaho Attorney

Idaho Attorney Invoice


Got Rules?
• John The Video Man and his video associates will read into the record at the beginning of the deposition whatever you and/or your jurisdiction requires.
Idaho attorneys have decided to do this themselves using the following script. The following script insures that the deposition complies with Idaho Rule 30(b)4.

Click on the above to see the Idaho Read On sheet.

 


Sleeping John The Video Man
Alert Responsive Attentive

Sleeping John the Video Man
The famous Sleeping John The Video Man picture. Ask for his business card.

Tips and Suggestions

• Videographers arrive at the depo location between 45 minutes to an hour early to setup and test equipment. If you schedule a depo for 8:00 AM at an office that opens its door at 8:00 AM, please expect a delay. Think doctor's office.

• If you schedule a depo at a doctor's office and the doctor's receptionist tells the videographer to "take a seat", please expect a delay. It would be wonderful, if a doctor depo notice included the words "Please admit the videographer to set up equipment 45 minutes before the depo starts. Please provide a room large enough for a minimum of six people."

• If the videographer is not on location 45 minutes early, something has gone wrong. Start calling. Don't wait.

• Idaho rules actually have nothing for the videographer to say except "On the Record" and "Off the Record". Please see the above Got Rules section. Just let the videographer know what your jurisdiction's rules require. We are all happy to help you comply.

• If your deposition is telephonic, don't expect the location to have a speaker phone. Check ahead.

 

Broadcasting Live Depo Video Over the Internet
This is the new big idea and it works just like watching TV. It's not video teleconferencing, where you get to talk back and forth. In December 2005, 114 people watched one of my depos live over the internet.

Who would watch a depo over the internet on a computer screen?

• Associate attorneys and co-counsel, who want to keep up, but don't want the time and money expense of attending the depo.

• Paralegals who need to know and phone in their comments and facts to the examiner attending the depo.

• Secretaries who want to know how the depo is progressing for scheduling purposes or setting up conference calls during the breaks.

• Clients.

• Experts who need to know the depo content right away.

• Idaho attorneys are just beginning to address what ethics and rules might apply to this technology. No problems so far to date.

• Check into the details of depo broadcasting by visiting my broadcasting site shown below:

www.WithOurClothesOn.com

 

Editing the Video Deposition for Trial

Getting The Judge to Rule

• It's wonderful if the judge will rule on the transcript days before the trial begins. Plenty of time to do the video editing. If I recorded the video and you can see an edit coming during trial, then please let me know early. I can get the video into my computer days in advance and be ready. This can save precious time the night before you need the edit done.

• However, it's typical that the judge will rule during the trial which makes editing very urgent. "We need it tomorrow!" OK. I can get the eding done over night.

What I Need to Get Started
• Here is what I need to edit your depo.
(1) The depo video if someone else recorded the video and
(2) The entire transcript clearly marked to show what comes out.

The Depo Transcript
• Please provide to me a copy of the transcript showing what comes out. You may use a pen to draw lines and make notes and/or you can use a highlighter. The transcript may show a clear and orderly conversation, but the video may show everyone talking over each other. I'l do the best that I can using my judgment. I'll mark the transcript at trouble spots.
• Your runner can deliver the transcript to me at my office, or you can fax the entire transcript to me or you can scan and email the transcript to me. Remember: highlighting may not fax or scan well. Don't leave me wondering.
• Delivering only the transcript pages that show the editing is wrong. I need the entire transcript. The judge may issue a page and line number ruling. Send that along to me, too.
• As I work along with the transcript during the editing, I will Initial "JGH" each point where I made an edit. This confirmation will show to you that I have attended to your edits. I may also write in a note or two to explain what I did.

What You Get Back
• I will edit the depo and make new DVD labeled Edited.
• You get the transcript back showing where I made the edits and any notes that I have left.

Panic Mode: Rule on the Fly

Sometimes nothing seems work out well. You have to show the video and there was no time to get it edited. That's when we show the video the jury and the judge " Rules on the Fly". This is not fun, but I have done it several times. All the judges that I have worked with get into it and make it work.

Setting Up
I come into the court with my video equipment. I connect my video equipment to the court's video system. They don't like this because they never imagined this would have to be done. But, it can be done and we get it done. Sometimes the court has no video equipment. In that case we bring in what we need.

Getting Started
When the time comes, I begin playing the unedited video. I follow along with the transcript on my lap. Before the trial I have looked ahead to all the objections and motions to strike and made a plan.

The Judge Rules
When the video gets to the point where someone on the tape says "Objection", I pause the video. The attorneys in the court room can now argue the objection and the judge can rule right then and there. If I hear the judge say "Overruled" then I play the video on through. If I hear "Sustained", then I disconnect the court system from my video equipment to make court's screens go black and silent. I have headphones and a small TV monitor to help me quietly advance through the transcript to the new start point. I reconnect the court system and hit Play. We're off to the next ruling.

 

How to Save Money on Depo Edits

Order your transcripts with time stamps as show in the transcript below. This will make finding the edit point in the video just fly. Otherwise the video editor has to scan through the video looking for the point in the transcript. Time stamps will save a lot of time.

Time Stamp Transcript

Page Last Updated: 12 / 05 / 2010