Prop 8 Trial Re-enactments Circumvent Supreme Court's YouTube Ban [VIDEO]

 By 
Jennifer Van Grove
 on 
Prop 8 Trial Re-enactments Circumvent Supreme Court's YouTube Ban [VIDEO]
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The San Francisco Chronicle reports that John Ireland and John Ainsworth are using court transcripts, information from bloggers and professional actors to mastermind a re-enactment of trial proceedings for a YouTube-viewing audience. The pair strongly believe that their video portrayal of the trial will give Americans "a chance to judge for themselves, based on the evidence that was presented."

Both filmmakers are working on a shoestring budget, but they were still able to attract and secure SAG talent despite being unable to compensate actors for their time. They have reportedly cast "attractive" parties to portray both sides. In fact, Gregory Itzin -- who's appeared in everything from Twilight to 24 -- plays the role of defense witness, David Blankenhorn.

According to the Chronicle, Ainsworth and Ireland are committed to presenting an unbiased version of trial events, pulling directly from official transcripts and even seeking guidance from legal experts David Cruz and Linda Hirschman.

You can expect new trial re-enactment scenes to be posted online to marriagetrial.com every two to three days, and we've embedded the day one trial videos below. Ireland and Ainsworth plan to complete their video coverage by the end of February.

You may recall that the Chief U.S. District Judge Waugh Walker initially ruled in favor of YouTube trial coverage, but the Supreme Court overruled that design as the trial -- which puts the constitutionality of Proposition 8 and the definition of marriage under the microscope -- was getting underway. The proceedings have currently halted and closing arguments are slated for next month.

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