Deposition Designation Editing
Deposition designation editing for trial and arbitration: designated testimony cut into clips or one video, with on-screen transcript and overnight changes.
or call 253-627-6401
When video testimony is going to be played at trial or arbitration, B&A edits the deposition video down to the testimony your team has designated, by page and line, so it plays exactly as the court has allowed.
Designation edits usually come in on the eve of trial or once trial has started. Our video services lead does the editing, works from your designations and instructions, and can turn changes around overnight after a ruling. It is part of our legal videography services.
Clips or one continuous video
Whichever your trial team asks for
Overnight changes
During trial, after a ruling
Transcript on screen
When the video is synchronized to the transcript
A summary report
Designations by party, objections, and total running time
Part of B&A’s legal videography services
What Is Deposition Designation Editing?
Before trial, each side identifies the deposition testimony it plans to play, by page and line. The other side can add its own designations, often called counter-designations, and object to portions, and the court rules on the objections. What is left is the testimony the jury or the arbitrator will see.
Designation editing turns that list into video. We cut the recording to each designated range, in the order you want it, and leave out what you tell us to leave out.
What to Send Us
Most edits start with a page-and-line list. Tell us:
- The page and line ranges for each designation, and which party designated them
- Whether you want separate clips or one continuous video, and whether each side’s designations should be combined into one video or kept separate
- The court’s rulings on objections, if you have them
- Any notes on specific designations, such as a designation that starts or ends partway through a line
Objections and Attorney Back-and-Forth
Removing objections is the usual practice, and we remove them when you ask, following how the judge has ruled. The decisions about what plays come from your team and the court’s rulings; we edit to your instructions.
Transcript Text on Screen
The edited video can show the transcript text on screen as the witness testifies. To do that, the video has to be synchronized to the transcript. If it isn’t already, we can create a video-synchronized transcript first. For exhibit-heavy testimony, a picture-in-picture recording keeps the witness and the document in the same frame.
Video Recorded by Another Company
We can edit designations from a deposition another company recorded. We need the official video recording, along with the synchronized files from the other agency if the video was synchronized. If it wasn’t, we can synchronize it.
What You Receive
Edited video is delivered as MP4 as standard, and we can work with other formats if your trial presentation software needs one. When we deliver the video for review, we include a summary report that lists the designations by party, the objections, and the total running time.
Turnaround on the Eve of Trial
We know designation edits are usually needed when you are in trial or about to be, so turnaround can be short. Advance notice helps, especially when there are a lot of designations: we can start the edits early and make the final changes once the judge rules. During trial, we can turn changes around overnight.
Frequently asked questions
What are deposition designations?
Deposition designations are the portions of a deposition transcript, identified by page and line, that a party intends to use at trial in place of or alongside live testimony. When the deposition was recorded on video, the designated portions are usually played for the jury as video clips.
What are counter-designations?
Counter-designations are the additional portions of the same deposition that the other side designates, often to give context to the testimony first designated. Both sides’ designations, minus anything the court excludes, make up what is played.
Can a designation start in the middle of a line?
Yes. Tell us in your notes where a designation should start or stop, and we will cut it there.
Can you make changes overnight during trial?
Yes. If the court rules on an objection or your team changes its designations during trial, we can turn the revised video around overnight.
Do you need the video synchronized to the transcript?
Only if you want the transcript text on screen. If the video isn’t synchronized, we can synchronize it, or you can send us the synchronized files from the agency that recorded it.
Order a Designation Edit
Email video@balitigation.com with the case, the witness, and your page-and-line designations, or call our Tacoma office at 253-627-6401. If trial is close, tell us the date so we can plan the edit around it.
We edit designations for trials and arbitrations across Washington from our Tacoma headquarters and Seattle office.