Litigation Media: How will they see it?

You have some evidence or an argument that will benefit from video or photos.
Picture the other side or the jury seeing it under the most advantageous conditions.

Now make sure that's how they see it.

If it's for a settlement conference, will you play it on your laptop while everyone watches? Will you project it? Will you send it ahead of time with the brochure of documents? Will it work in their equipment?
If it's for trial, is the courtroom better served with a big projection screen or a scattering of monitors, one or two for the jury, one for counsel, one up on the bench to make the judge feel special? If there's sound, how will that be played?
Will your witness talk during the video?
Do you want to play a part at a time? Pause on a particular frame and talk about it?
Is it easy to replay a particular part you may want to return to? (Never make your audience wait while you rewind.)
Are you comfortable running the A/V equipment while the jury watches? Would you rather have help? With or without help, did you rehearse? Did you rehearse again?

If the judge rules parts of it in and parts out, are you ready to play it when you want, with his edits?

More show business: What happens to the playback equipment before and after the presentation? Will you break to take it away? Leave a freeze frame on the projector while the case continues?

Q: Did you rehearse?
Mr. Defense: Asked and answered. Move on, counselor.
Q: You may answer, if you know.

Media Case Plan: Mass media coverage of the incident

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.)