Brighton Imaging helped pioneer a field called forensic animation, forever changing the way evidence is presented in U.S. courts of law. Forensic animation involves the recreation of events and/or scenes related to a suspected crime through a computer-generated animation, usually saved and replayed on video tape.

The following excerpt explains forensic animation in greater detail. (From the August 1994 issue of Image News, Brighton Imaging's newsletter):

In the courtroom, still pictures can move and even mesmerize jurors; animation creates an even more powerful effect. Animation can capture the attentions of jurors with an experience difficult to forget, and reinforce verbal testimony with a visual reality.

Attorneys are quickly beginning to realize just how effective animation can be when trying to portray a sequence of events. An even described in words depends on an accurate interpretation from each juror, who comprehends the event by constructing visual images in his or her mind. An event recreated through animation, on the other hand, bypasses the juror’s interpretation by directly presenting a visual reality with startling precision and clarity. Evidence difficult to explain can become accessible to everyone.

Simply put, animation can add a decision tool to your repertoire- providing the one missing element of persuasion needed to win a case.

People vs. Kastanis became a precedent-setting case that secured the place of forensic animation in capital homicide cases to follow.  In pretrial hearings, Brighton’s Kent Estep provided the court with compelling expert testimony on the merits of forensic animation as a vehicle for reconstructing a sequence of events based on material evidence. As a result, the court accepted the prosecution’s entry of an 11-minute animation into evidence, later presented to the trial jury. 

At the 1994 State of California Bar Association Convention, Brighton Imaging’s Dan Forbes and Jon Asher introduced forensic animation at a special multimedia educational event sponsored by Brighton. The convention gave many of the leading attorneys, prosecutors, and judges in the nation a first-time opportunity to view a forensic animation- and better understand the planning, science, and art behind it. Many responded with passionate opinions regarding its propriety and moral implications. In short, the educational event opened the eyes of many California attorneys to the far-reaching potential of the new forensic technology.