Certified Deposition Video Specialist
The foundation credential for legal videographers. Learn the rules, tools, procedures, and best practices to capture deposition video that holds up under cross-examination — and earn the credential firms actively look for.
Who this is for
If you've been hired to capture a deposition — or you want to be — this is the credential the rest of the legal industry recognizes. It assumes no prior legal experience and no prior video experience. We'll teach you both layers, and the way they fit together.
What you'll be able to do
- Run a federal civil deposition end-to-end as the Officer of record — pre-deposition prep, on-the-record sequence, breaks, exhibit handling, and conclusion.
- Build and operate a redundant deposition signal chain that survives the failure modes that kill the record.
- Apply FRCP Rules 28, 30, and 32 in the moment, without checking the book.
- Produce the post-deposition Officer's Certification, deliverables, and witness review packet to professional standard.
- Stay impartial under pressure — and recognize the conduct that disqualifies an Officer.
The curriculum
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01
The litigation lifecycle
Why depositions exist, where they sit in civil procedure, and how the work moves from investigation through appeal.
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02
The four rule sets
FRCP, state rules of civil procedure, local rules, and standing orders. The hierarchy and how to read them in conflict.
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03
FRCP Rule 30 deep-dive
Notice, scheduling, examination, objections, and the recording method designation. What you can do, what you can't, and what the case law says about it.
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04
Officer eligibility & impartiality
Rule 28 disqualifications, financial-interest tests, and the ethical line you cannot cross.
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05
Pre-deposition prep
Room assessment, lighting, ambient noise, equipment redundancy, and the one-hour pre-record protocol.
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06
The signal chain
Lavalier and boundary microphones, mixers, redundancy, gain staging, and the three errors that kill the record.
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07
On the record — opening
The Officer's read-on: business address, time, place, deponent identification, and administering the oath.
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08
During the deposition
Maintaining a static, undistorted shot. Announcing breaks. Off and on the record. Exhibit handling.
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09
Concluding & stipulations
Closing the record, stipulations on the Officer's certification, and the witness review process.
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10
Post-deposition workflow
Encoding, deliverables, the Officer's Certification, witness review under FRCP 30(e), errata sheets, and archival under the 1-2-3 rule.
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11
Production exam
A simulated deposition you run end-to-end. Reviewed by a panel of credentialed members.
What the credential covers
- FRCP 28 — Officer eligibility
- FRCP 30 — Depositions by oral examination
- FRCP 32 — Using depositions in court proceedings
- Local-rule patterns across federal districts
- AGCV signal-chain reference architecture
- AGCV Code of Ethics — impartiality and conflict of interest
Bad audio kills a deposition video. Bad procedure kills the videographer. Both are entirely preventable, and both are what CDVS is built around.
— from the CDVS curriculumCommon questions about the CDVS.
Do I need video experience to start?
No. The CDVS curriculum assumes you're starting from zero on both the legal side and the technical side. Many of our strongest candidates come from court reporting or paralegal backgrounds with no video experience at all.
How long does it take?
Most candidates complete CDVS in 6–10 weeks of part-time study. The fastest serious candidates have done it in three weeks; the median is closer to two months.
How is it different from NCRA's CLVS?
CDVS and CLVS both certify deposition videography. CDVS is online and self-paced; CLVS requires an in-person production exam in Reston, VA, twice a year. CDVS is the foundation of a multi-track credential set (CEVS, CTTS); CLVS is the only credential NCRA offers for video. Both are recognized by working firms — many videographers hold both.
Is the production exam in-person?
No. CDVS is fully remote. Your production exam is a simulated deposition you run end-to-end and submit for panel review. The annual summit also hosts a live exam day for candidates who prefer that format.
How much equipment do I need to own?
Approximately $5,000–$10,000 for a working deposition kit — cameras, lavalier mics, mixer, backup recorder, monitor, tripod, lighting. The CDVS curriculum walks through gear selection with specific model recommendations at each price tier.
Earn the CDVS.
Membership unlocks the curriculum, the exam, the directory listing, and the working community of certified members. The fastest way to start is to join.