Deposition drudgery becomes video hilarity in @nytimes project

We all know photocopiers, right? Not according to a deposition transcript.

How many of us have conducted depositions, or at least sat in them? Has it ever occurred to you that the result could be a compelling piece of … art?

Me neither. And that’s why I am so taken with a New York Times project that brings cold depo transcripts to life. And you can play a role too!

The verbatim project is described by NYT staffer Jason Spingarn-Koff:

“This marks the debut of a new series, presented by Op-Docs, that transforms verbatim (word for word) legal transcripts into dramatic, and often comedic, performances. Here you will find re-creations of actual events from the halls of law and government. You, our readers, can help us find material for future episodes. Have you come across court trials, depositions or government hearings that you think are surprising, bizarre or baffling—and lend themselves to performance? We especially seek original, publicly available transcripts, along with details about the source. Email us at opinion.video@nytimes.com and include ‘Verbatim’ in the subject line.”

So your own transcripts might become fodder for a compelling video performed by professional actors. (Your ethics-rules violations may vary.)

Read more about the project and the inaugural video here.

A hat-tip to Rick DeBruhl for pointing me toward the ABA Journal’s mention of this NYT project.

And now because it’s Friday and we need a chuckle, I offer you the video itself, in which lawyers and a deponent argue over “what is a photocopier?”

Have a wonderful—and dramatic—weekend.

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The photocopier struggle is real.