Jury Tearjerkers

Juanfordroad

Juanfordroad

Active member
Here's hoping I have posted in the correct forum...

I've recently been asked to produce a short (8 to 10 minute) piece for a jury to help the attorney win his wrongful death suit. A 5 year old drowned and I'm sure they're going for big bucks. He gave me several CD's of very bad photos along with a DVD of what the funeral home had produced. It should have been called a 'fun'- eral since they used just about every wipe in their arsenal coupled with lots of twangy country music.

So I took the photos and tried to assemble them in a timeline using dissolves and slow movements. Some blur in and outs, soft edges, etc. He didn't want any music at this point because he wanted to choose it himself. So I emailed him a short sample to get some feedback and direction. He hated it. Didn't want any movement on the stills. Said he couldn't see any difference between mine and the funeral home.

I'm scratching my head about what a jury wants and would make them up the settlement from a buck, two eighty to maybe three...

I'm not real fond of ambulance chasers. But I need the work and he needs the video. If you have any thoughts I'd greatly appreciate them.

Thanks,

John
 
Just so I understand... You need to put together a bunch of still photographs given to you in a way that'll make a jury feel really bad that I kid with a happy life died?

How is there a lawsuit anyway? Who's being blamed?
 
It's a wrongful death suit meaning your pool, spa, garden hose, etc. is responsible for my son's death. Probably some apartment complex or neighbor, I don't know. Didn't ask. Any suggestions on how to bring tears to their eyes other than pictures of onions?
 
Hmm... I feel kinda bad, but getting money because the parents didn't keep track of their kids? Wow. Oh well though...

He said he didn't like moving pictures. Ok. You could insert titles that lead throughout a timeline. Like "here he is at age 1", "age 2", "age 3"... and "he would've been 6 today had it not been for Mrs. Figgs having a murder weapen (also known as a pool) hiding mysteriously in her back yard.
 
This will have more to do with the pictures you have to work with then with the edit. You need to arrange the pictures in the order that will create the most emotional impact on the jury.

For instance, you might start out with cute picture of the baby, followed up some happy family memories (birthday, first bike ride). This will get the jury to like the child because the child is so sweet. Then bring in some pictures of close family shots which will show the deep bond between the parents (siblings?) and the child they have lost. Then cut to some pictures of the accident that caused the child's death. Remember, you don't want to gross out the jury but you want them to understand this child died in a tragic and horrible way. Finally, end with the best close up shot of the child's happy face, which reminds the jury what the parents will never see again.

Make sure you use smooth dissolves during the early happy pictures. Give early pictures some time to really sink in. Think of the edit like a roller coaster, that first hill you chug slowly to the top, anticipating the emotions to come when you plunge over that hill. Then when you get to the pictures of the accident use quick cuts (no dissolves). These transition from picture to picture should be shorter and more harsh. You want the jury to be jarred by these pictures.

Remember, this is about the images, not your editing. The people on the jury weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty, they won't be smart enough to appreciate fancy movements, blurs and soft images. Manipulate their emotions as much as you can by just using the pictures.
 
wow...this is an interesting gig.

how did you land this one?

either way. Watch a lot of anti-drug or anti-drinking and driving ads and commercials.

good luck.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I put together two pieces; one with and one without movement. Wish I could post them for your critique. The lawyer called me after he got one of my brochures. He originally wanted to use some of the autopsy photos until I suggested this might be a bit much. I'm probably as harsh and cruel as any but using that is just bad, for any age person. Anyway, I did the timeline thing with dissolves but didn't think about the use of 'crime scene' photos so I'll ask him for those. They gave me some shots of the kid playing in a pool, at the beach, etc. but didn't use them. May go back and put them in, like you suggested. I sent both versions off with some music to the lawyer and am awaiting his decision. I did a little open/close thing where I have a three shot photo and bring in his name and date of birth for the open. Then I bring in his date of death at the close and slow dissolve, photshop him out of the three shot leaving just his outline. Think that's too tacky?

Again, thanks for everyone's input.
 
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