Now movies get cultural consultants as Song producers call in experts to advise on character in new Ghostbusters film

First there were sensitive readers, who advised whether a book might be offensive.

Then intimacy coordinators came in to ensure that sex scenes in films do not outrage audiences or cause trouble for the actors involved.

The latest innovation in these more sensitive times is the ‘cultural advisor’.

They are embraced by modern Hollywood to eradicate all insensitivities around ethnicity, religion and race.

Disney/Pixar loves it.

To give an example: the animation Soul, the story of a school teacher who dies suddenly while dreaming of realizing his ambition to become a jazz pianist, is said to have had no fewer than eleven advisors, including musicians Herbie Hancock and Marcus McLaurine.

Producers at Sony asked Sajid Varda, CEO of media organization UK Muslim Film, for advice on a Pakistani-American character in the new Ghostbusters film Frozen Empire.

‘Cultural advisors’ were brought in to eradicate any insensitivities around ethnicity, faith and race (file photo)

Producers at Sony asked Sajid Varda, CEO of media organization UK Muslim Film, for advice on a Pakistani-American character in the new Ghostbusters film Frozen Empire (file photo)

An important part of the plot is the discovery of a secret room at his grandmother’s house and the sale of an ancient relic. The producers wanted to get the details of the relationship right.

Mr Varda told The Guardian that the key to the work was not censorship, but “authenticity – not just saying what’s wrong with this, but how can we make it better and improve it?”

He said his role is not about censorship. “When you consult, you put it to filmmakers: ‘This is the problem, or the concern,’ and ‘This would be the recommendation’ – and then it’s really up to them whether they take it to heart.

Sometimes a particular incident or dialogue is an integral part of the story for them and changing it can take away the shine in a significant way.”