Research existing media. A big old-fashioned train crash, cars randomized, just a huge, colorful mess. Pictures of that would stir emotions and show some of the facts of the case. And it was covered on the local network affiliate with great pans at eye level and helicopter overviews! Two years earlier.
Comes now the plaintiff who would sure love to have that video. But local stations sometimes keep their footage and sometimes don't.
One fallback is video monitoring services. They record many television channels continuously and archive it. Tell them the date and they'll sell you a copy of the footage. Networks archive their own footage. This train wreck didn't get archived for some reason. So I went to back channels and found out at least one channel's coverage was shot by an acquaintance who saved copies for himself because it was just so cool. He was happy to help out and my client got some priceless help for his case.
If you buy from an archive, spring for the higher quality copy, not a DVD. It's worth the small extra money.
These days, lots of people carry cameras better than broadcast equipment from the time of that crash, so be ready to ask around. Also be ready to have your producer process the footage to take out the amateur shakiness.
And the train wreck case? Big, old-fashioned settlement. (Thanks again for the footage, Neil. I owe you one.)
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