Types of Coverage Available
Our specialty is producing video documentation of preconstruction conditions on the ground for roadways, areas adjacent to roadways and the perimeters of properties to establish the preexisting state of adjacent properties including those that may extend from, be affected by, project into or otherwise encroach on the property lines of project sites.
This documentation is in the form of video footage shot by a videographer experienced in the concerns of engineers, property owners and municipalities. Audio descriptions may include existing structures, utilities, fences, surface grades and ground cover as well as trees, ground water, drains, etc. We are not engineers nor licensed surveyors. Coverage and footage is made in layman terms with overlays available for engineering symbols, lines connecting property line flags, maps, signs for roads, addresses, etc.
Our process is to fully understand your needs and objectives first. We then schedule shooting. All original footage is archived, unedited. Footage is then overlaid with a map to show location and orientation. A running clock shows date and time of day. We shoot establishing shots at the beginning and end with a GPS signal clock to verify length of footage, time of day, etc. Some of our systems include GPS which may include elevation and path. A location path can be added to the overlay may to indicate location and progress. Landmarks are continuously called out as are all identifiable engineering posts/stakes. All footage edit elements are archived. A final DVD, Blu-ray and or streaming video link is provided to client. All archives are stored on optical media and stored in fire proof file cabinets for future reference.
Our pre-construction videos have been contracted for documentation of preexisting conditions of adjacent properties (both residential and commercial), wind generation farms, pipelines, road construction, repair and resurfacing. Haul routes and site access points are common concerns.
Our videos show every tar patch in the road, the crumbling asphalt shoulder, the unauthorized structure over the property line and the already flooded back yard. Don’t let property owners and municipalities bully you into believing you caused and are responsible for their problems.
Time and time again our clients tell us “I showed them the tape and they backed down”.
Buy only what you break. Video evidence of existing conditions is cheap insurance against frivolous, unsubstantiated or unwarranted lawsuits and litigation. Preconstruction video documentation may also lower your insurance premiums (talk with your insurance rep to find out if they have additional requirements to qualify for discounts in advance).
We have extensive experience producing the following types of Video documentation:
- SD Tape Based Video – Walking – up to 90minutes per tape
- SD Tape Based Video mounted on Vehicle (Road Survey) – up to 90 minutes per tape
- HD/4K Digital Video – Walking – up to 30minutes per recording section – up to 4 hours total footage
- HD/4K Digital Video – mounted on Vehicle- up to 30minutes per recording section – up to 4 hours total footage per day
- Drone Based HD/4K Video – Fully FAA licensed and covered by liability insurance our state of the art drone based system can produce video footage of elevated overviews of your worksite. Additionally we can overlay descriptive text and labels of key elements, entrances, areas of concern and adjacent property lines in the moving footage.
In some cases more than one of these may be produced so contractual requirements by customer are met, but possibly supplemented by higher resolution coverage outside of the indicated requirements. For example; the contract language for a municipality requires Standard Definition footage on tape with displayed running clock delivered on DVD or VHS. We can also produce in addition to that 4K footage mastered down to HD delivered on Blu-ray or Thumbdrive to provide you with greater resolution for your own needs and protection against litigation.
Our goal is to always provide deliverables that exceed the requirements of the project contract.
What we do: We will discuss your concerns so we understand them fully. We will meet with your representative on the site to review what is to be shot. We will shoot long uncut periods of tape/footage while describing the conditions being videoed. It is our goal to have as few cuts, shots and transitions as possible so the video is shown in real time and does not attempt to hide anything through editing. The time and date are recorded both on the camera and from a GPS cell phone display.
Fees for video documentation may vary depending on location and requirements. As a rough guide expect to pay $950 for up to 90 minutes on site shooting up to 60 minutes of footage. Larger sites requiring more time to shoot are typically quoted as multiples of this base cost. This includes post production to include scanning of site plan, editing with shots indicated on site-plan, titles, 3 DVD copies of final video and archive of all materials including original unedited tape/footage. Additional time on site is billed at $300/hour in 15 minute increments. Travel time beyond 1 hour from studio is billed at 1/2 rate. Additional editing is based on $90/hour. Additional expenses such as travel, lodging, assistants, boom or scissor lifts, scaffolding, rentals, helicopter, shipping etc. is additional. Time required to appear for deposition, testimony or other support of materials produced will be billed to the contracting client at $300/hour plus expenses. Written quotes with all expenses can be provided in advance of production. In most cases an advance deposit of 50% is required for new clients as mobilization fee.
Call us for more details, rough costs prior to a hard quote or any questions you have.