When it comes to courtroom animation, it’s essential that you have a professional company on your side providing high-quality graphics for your trial. The right forensic animation company can help make an impact in the court of law with engaging and accurate visuals.
The use of forensic animation at trial in criminal and civil cases is becoming more popular than ever. According to an article by Degree Query titled How Do You Become a Forensic Animator? forensic animation is a branch of forensic science, and it entails the use of audio and visual aids to reconstruct incidents or accidents to help investigators.” Hence, a forensic animation company creates trial animations and reconstructions of incidents to aid a trial and ensure justice is served.
Animations can be used in many cases such as murder, vehicular accidents, workplace accidents, construction accidents, personal injury cases, and many more. These animations are used as demonstrative evidence to present the facts of the case to the jury in a more relatable manner. Forensic animations are adjudged to be beneficial to the judicial system. Cooper Elliot (2017), in an article titled Seeing is Believing: The Benefits of Forensic Animation stated that “forensic animation… virtually recreates events – and can do so from multiple perspectives. In addition, it can slow down the action or zoom in to reveal critical details.”
To enjoy the full benefits of forensic animation for a trial, it must be done by an experienced forensic animation company. Here are some qualities to look out for when choosing the forensic animation company to hire for your trial graphics.
Computer savvy with an interest in the legal system
It is one thing to be knowledgeable about making animations. It is another to have interest in investing the knowledge into law enforcement, solving crimes, and the legal system. Animators specialize in different areas of animation. However, some are specific about the kinds of projects they perform. Getting an animation company with an interest in the legal system is the first step.
Qualifications
The qualifications of the staff of the forensic animation company matter a lot. An animator has to have the minimum level of education required of his chosen profession. Without this, there is no certainty to the quality of work rendered. A good forensic animator should have an in-depth knowledge of mathematics and physics. He must also possess exceptional programming and 3D modeling skills. He should be able to use AutoCAD, After Effects, Adobe Premiere, 3DS Max, Photo Modeler, and PhotoShop. A good forensic animation company must have employees with this level of skills and more.
In addition to this, the animators and staff in the forensic animation company must have relevant reconstruction training, medical and engineering knowledge.
Years of experience
Continual practice of a particular skill brings perfection. In identifying a perfect forensic animation company, you must consider their years of experience because it is a quota in determining the quality of their trial animation. With a long time of practice, they would be knowledgeable about the dos and don’ts of creating trial animations and adhere to them to ensure that their clients get the best from their cases.
Knowledge about the admissibility of computer-generated animations
Even though forensic animations are becoming recognized and admissible in the courts of law, some procedures must be followed to ensure they are amissible. The forensic animation company must be aware of what disqualifies a computer-generated animation from being admissible. In the case of Clark v. Cantrell, the computer-generated animation presented by the expert witness in the case was held inadmissible because it did not accurately reflect the testimony of the proponent. The animation changed some basic facts of the case, thus rendering it inadmissible. With proper knowledge of the admissibility of computer-generated animations, an excellent forensic animation company will make accurate animations that reflect the facts of the case.
Success rate
Another important determiner of a good forensic animation company is its success rate. The testimony of clients and the level of success that their trial animations have achieved play an essential role in knowing if they are good at what they do. Therefore, you need to research the success rate, talk to the former clients and get information about the quality and success rate of the service that is rendered to get the best forensic animation company.
