Paramedic Advisor for Film

goldenbram

Forum Ride Along
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I'm looking for a female paramedic who can act as an advisor for a motion picture I am writing and directing.

Gig will consist of reading an already existing script and fact checking. The main character is a female paramedic. Then, I am also looking for real life stories we might be able to incorporate into the film.

Advisor will get a credit in the film's main titles as well as $200.00. Person should live in the Los Angeles area, if possible.

AB
 

exodus

Forum Deputy Chief
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Why should the medic be female? That doesn't make sense. Who cares if they're male / female, they aren't on screen.
 

Veneficus

Forum Chief
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If I was relating my personal experience for inclusion, I would want a percentage, not $200 and my name in the credits.
 

nomofica

Forum Asst. Chief
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I agree, the gender of the advisor is completely irrelevant, as would be age, sexual preference, religious beliefs or nationality. There are laws to protect workers from those biases. :)
 

CAOX3

Forum Deputy Chief
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Umm. I believe its his choice of who he wants to hire. If he wants a female perspective then hire a female paramedic.
 
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goldenbram

Forum Ride Along
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About the female part...

One of you asked why I asked for a female paramedic... It's because that's what the story is ABOUT...

So, it's just a preference.

Also, I would love to just knock this out this coming Saturday. Will take 4 hours at the very most.

AB
 

Shishkabob

Forum Chief
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Shoot, I'll shave my legs and you can call me Sally for $200 and name in movie credits.


Go to your local EMS service, and just ask them. Be easier :)
 

bstone

Forum Deputy Chief
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Shoot, I'll shave my legs and you can call me Sally for $200 and name in movie credits.


Go to your local EMS service, and just ask them. Be easier :)

Hey, Sally!
 
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goldenbram

Forum Ride Along
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More specifics

Also, although it's a 100 plus page script, I only need about a thirty page section reviewed.
 

firecoins

IFT Puppet
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You may wanto to check out local EMS agecies. The LAFD for instance might be best to see if any female medics there best fit your female character.
 

firetender

Community Leader Emeritus
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Welcome to EMTlife!

Not exactly a resoundingly favorable response so far, and that may be because most here are sick about how medics are portrayed.

For myself, four hours tells me you want bites and neither accuracy or an understanding of the world she lives in.

For those 30 pages, if you do not want to make a fool of yourself in front of the people whom you're asking for help, Please! Hire a medic and make sure she's on the shoot for that segment.

And then, listen to her!
 

MonkeySquasher

Forum Lieutenant
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Welcome to EMTlife!

Not exactly a resoundingly favorable response so far, and that may be because most here are sick about how medics are portrayed.

For myself, four hours tells me you want bites and neither accuracy or an understanding of the world she lives in.

For those 30 pages, if you do not want to make a fool of yourself in front of the people whom you're asking for help, Please! Hire a medic and make sure she's on the shoot for that segment.

And then, listen to her!


+1. And to what everyone else says.

Talk to a bunch of people, get their thoughts. If you want a female medic perspective, by all means, find one. But have her review ALL of the script. Maybe there's personal quips she can add.

And then have her there. If you're writing medicine into a film, that means you'll be acting it, too. A medic on set could help you with visual accuracy.
 

firetender

Community Leader Emeritus
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Let's put it this way:

30 pages = about 30 minutes on screen

4 hrs. ("no more than") = 240 minutes

MINUS 30 MINUTES FOR SCHMOOZE AND WRITE THE CHECK

That leaves 7 minutes per page

It takes at least 20 minutes to teach two non-medic actors how to lift a patient into an ambulance and make it look like they know what they're doing. That can't be explained to you. Figure the same amount of time to cover an IV being started. (How many cut aways can you have in your movie?).

It's up to you; if you want production value for a movie ABOUT a woman medic, then HIRE ONE as a Technical Advisor and have her on the set, WITH the actress.

That's about 1/3 of your movie, it deserves it.

Good luck!
 

dudemanguy

Forum Lieutenant
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Whoever taught John goodman how to do chest compressions in "Bringing out the dead" should have been fired.
 

Eydawn

Forum Crew Member
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Why bother, if all you're going to do is have her read the script once over? I mean seriously. $200 and 4 hours is not going to help you with regard to making sure this comes off more accurately. Nice idea, poor planning.

If you really want to portray a female paramedic accurately, you will hire at LEAST THREE of them to read the script, help you revise it, and read it over again once finished. You will then hire a medic (regardless of gender) to help you as a technical advisor with your filming, because they'll be able to catch the stuff that looks totally normal to you, but will totally alienate your EMS viewers *permanently* if you let it slip in, if accuracy is something you really care about.

I'm guessing that it probably isn't worth the dough... thanks for wanting to introduce some reality, but the approach you've listed is really naive, hate to burst your bubble...

Good luck though! :) (No hard feelings intended, I tell it like I see it, and what I see is your good intentions and $200 going to waste...)

Wendy
CO EMT-B
 

ExpatMedic0

MS, NRP
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Whoever taught John goodman how to do chest compressions in "Bringing out the dead" should have been fired.

haha. aside from that I will say that John Goodman just looks like a typical transport medic in my mind and acted pretty good for his role
 

mycrofft

Still crazy but elsewhere
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48
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Lightn up. It's HOLLYWOOD

..and Linus's big chance.;)

Good luck. Don't tell IATSE if your consultant does any medic work...:rolleyes:

Personally, not being female nor a paramedic but sympathetic to them, I think it's a great idea. Just looking at the demographics here tells us the females/ladies are a minority, and having been a genderal minority in nursing for decades, let me tell you it makes a difference.
 

AnthonyM83

Forum Asst. Chief
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I get the feeling if it's only 30 pages, the movie's focus might not be EMS, so it would then make sense not to spend a large amount of resources on satisfying a minority of the viewers.
 
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