Bringing a Third Person onto the Screen in Video Communication

The Courts are making increasing use of communication technologies to enable an accused or a witness to appear from a distant location. In video-mediated hearings, the image produced at the opening does not necessarily correspond to the expected framework of participation. For instance, it may not show some participants who play a central part in the hearing, such as the lawyer. This article analyses sequences which “bring forth” the relevant participants who are not visible on the screen, through various processes (e.g. by stating the participative framework, or pointing the participants out on the image). To do so it highlights the tensions between the sequential implications of an appearance, with regard to the course of the hearing.