Welcome to the home page of Kelly Hughes deposition services. Here you will find information about my services, documents I use, and even
some articles I've written to assist other videographers. Use the menu above to select the sections you wish to access.
Benefits:
I do all types of legal videos - PIP, Elmo, non-steno, Zoom/Skype conference, Independent Medical Exams, Day in the Life
Twenty years of experience shooting depositions and running video departments in the Houston area
All digital recording with no tape changes needed. Attorneys love this!
Real-time monitoring of all recorders assures no missing audio or video ever
articleRead an article about how single chain hookup prevents problems
for sharpest, cleanest video. Masters are 1080p, delivered through WeTransfer.com. MPEG-1 or MTS camera files available at no extra charge
Mobile 4G open Wifi internet connection provided at all locations where reception allows
I pamper your clients. I bring a
goodie trayClick to see my goodie-tray Items less often used (Cough drops, coffee condiments, hand warmers) are in my toolbox so they don't waste table space
of snacks, stapler, clips, reading glasses, phone chargers, cough drops, Advil/Tylenol, water flavors, and more!
Support for hearing-imparied attendees with multiple personal headphone amps, complimentary earbuds. Audio is tailored for each listener, with their own microphone channel trimmed out, which eliminates the distraction of
hearing themselves loud in their own ears while talking.
Audio hookup for reporters: mic or line feed with volume control, earbuds, even USB input for their laptop.
Notary Public for non-steno depositions
Careful attention to video - custom settings used for properly colored faces, even when CWB can't nail down correct colors
Awesome audio - a studio grade compressor ensures consistent volume not only from speaker to speaker, but also between quiet and loud passages, with no "AGC pumping".
No job dropping - once you schedule me, that time is yours. I won't drop a job back on you if a bigger one comes along
Equipment is pre-wired, so I can be setup in under 30 mins. No space needed on conference table if seating is tight
Backup videos
are archivedCurrent long-term format for archives is 720p MP4 h.265, native 16:9 aspect ratio. I can re-make any current deliverable from this format
without any loss of quality from conversion.
for all my shoots for 5 years. Replacement downloads always available later if you lose your copy
I keep backup PDFs of all paperwork and invoices turned in.
Prices:
Basic depo : $75 / hr, no travel charges within 35 miles of Houston (50c per mile over 35 miles)
2.5 hour minimum, $125 same-day cancellation
No setup or breakdown charges on basic depos
No tape fees, disc fees, disc burning fees, archive charges, or other hidden costs
Zoom/Skype setup at video depo : Basic charge + $50 laptop rental fee
Zoom/Skype setup only, no video recording : $100 including laptop if needed
Automatic batch processing, using FFMPEG. I strive for "Grandma Friendly".
AutoMTS5.exe - My most modern and easiest Batch Conversion Processor. This is the one most people will want.
There are a lot of new safety checks built into Automts5 that previous tools didn't have. For example, by using FFprobe,
details about videos can be determined, so safety checks can catch
things such as cropping a video that's already 4x3, scaling to a resolution that's larger than the source, filename sets with jumps
in the numbers, etc.
Needs Automini.bat and ffmpeg and ffprobe
KH_Repair.bat This is a collection of my "one liner" batch tools, rolled into one easy interface. Lets you crop
a video, scale it, fix audio to 44k for Yeslaw sync compatibility, trim a piece off the end, replace the Name label at the bottom of a Zoom video, etc.
You can choose multiple fixes to apply in a single pass! It also allows creation MP3 audio files from the source video, and Mpeg-1 files
from the source video (when no fixes are chosen), or from the repaired video (when some fixes are chosen).
Needs ffmpeg and ffprobe
AutoMTS4.exe - MTS binary file joiner and Batch Conversion Processor.
This is the most powerful, but a little more complicated than AutoMTS5. This one is a fully compiled console app, that
writes out batch files (from scratch) for the actual conversions. It operates from a simple text configuration file (editable inside the program
via Notepad.exe). You create "presets" that are selectable and get applied to all the source files. I even made a Youtube video to explain basic
usage, but quite a few features were added after the video was made, so don't be surprised if the video doesn't match exactly.
32bit version here.
Needs ffmpeg
People sometimes ask me what bitrate to use for MPEG-1. Here's what I use, and why I like MP4 better
The Problems with portable DVD recorders
Portable DVD recorders usually make awful discs that require recapturing the depo at 1X speed. Here's why
Single Chain Hookup (outdated)
The Single Chain Hookup Technique is an important part of what makes me a great videographer. It's a simple technique that any videographer can use to increase his reliability and reduce risk factors. This article explains it in broad detail.
Benefits of HDD Recording (outdated)
Recording to redundant hard drives in the field gives the videographer several key benefits, both in convenience and decreased costs to be passed on to the client.
My Log Sheet 
Read-in template (nonsteno) 
AutoMTS5.exe
KH_Repair.bat 
