A Film Consultant - Reasons To Hire One

By Paul M. Fitzpatrigan


It is standard practice for a film consultant to assist the production team on a film or tv undertaking. The in-house writers for a program may not be familiar with all the detailed technical knowledge of their script. Still, they would like to make sure that plot developments are believable and dialogue sounds realistic. Accordingly, the production team will sometimes bring in a expert authority to consult on the project.

The consultant can come from a variety of different specialities. Law procedural programs such as Law & Order may require a few different consultants - a legal expert, a police officer, and perhaps a forensic scientist. Other programs like House may require a medical film consultant. Basically, experts with lots of credentials and lots of work experience in their area are hired to make the plot deevelopments seem realistic.

This process has been used for a long time. Recently, the hiring of film consultants has burgeoned due to more sophisticated audiences. In the mid 1970s, many projects with scripts involving computers had very corny and hackneyed dialogue. Back then not many people owned their own computer. However, everybody these days has a PC, so movies can't get away with poor quality dialogue any longer.

Some examples of areas where the accuracy of scripts has become better are hospital shows and legal shows. These include many of the longest lasting and most most popular television shows. For example, the Law & Order franchise is a huge hit for its network. Many medical dramas are highly regarded - a few of them are Grey's Anatomy, General Hospital, and Scrubs. In these dramas, medical issues intersect with the character elements of the teleplay. In order to make sure that plot developments are believable, a film consultant is an important part of the production team. The professional can also help with dialogue that requires technical jargon.

If the conversations in a teleplay lack believability, a movie or show may be subject to ridicule. Worse yet, it may lose audience acclaim and go down in the rankings. Hence, it is beneficial for a show to invest in a film consultant to edit the dialogue. Since audiences are able to critically analyze dialogue, they will be more likely to keep watching programs that have high production values. A large audience means better ratings and more advertiser dollars. Only when a project has a very tight budget should the medical jargon in the screenplay be left to the in-house writers. Although there is lots of information available online for any subject, it is preferable to have a qualified expert review the script.




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