- Read more |\u00a0How my history degree led to my dream job<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
What does the role involve?<\/h3>\n
The work often starts before a script has even been written. I spend a lot of time these days writing \u2018bibles\u2019 \u2013 documents outlining how a show will actually work. With a project like [the History Channel series] Vikings<\/em>, the first job was to find a story to tell. I\u2019d previously written a biography of Alfred the Great that told the story of the semi-legendary Ragnar Lothbrok and his descendants, so that seemed like a great place to start. The next job was to storyline the series and create an overall arc, and find the details and vignettes to bring it to life. After that, I briefed the directors and heads of department on the period and answered any questions they had. During shooting I was occasionally present on set, but I was usually back in my study so I could answer any queries that came up. After principal photography had finished, I then worked with the sound team adding in all of the additional dialogue recordings (particularly in other languages), before moving on to work on the launch publicity. I wrote the advertising videos, gave interviews and recorded DVD commentaries.<\/p>\n
![\""Justin\"]( "\\"\"Justin\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Justin Pollard (Picture by Justin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n What has been your favourite tv or film\u00a0project to work on?<\/h3>\n
The joy of the job is that every show is different.\u00a0A huge project like Mary Poppins Returns<\/em> or Pirates of the Caribbean<\/em> is a real\u00a0\u2018event\u2019 in itself, and working on a film like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas<\/em> (set during the Holocaust) makes you realise that what\u00a0you\u00a0do really matters. However, my favourite has to be Vikings<\/em>, because having\u00a0written about these shadowy characters for so long, I could then go and meet\u00a0them. It\u2019s every\u00a0historian\u2019s dream!<\/p>\n
- Read more | Poldark,\u00a0Peaky Blinders\u00a0and 6 other historical TV shows that have tourists flocking to Britain<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
What are the best and worst parts of your job?<\/h3>\n
The best part of the job is bringing characters and\u00a0places back to life. Walking onto the set of Agora<\/em> in Malta, where we\u2019d rebuilt the middle of ancient Alexandria, it was extraordinary to think that I was the first historian to walk these (albeit reconstructed) streets for over a thousand years. Similarly, getting to meet Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I, coaching Lord Attenborough on Tudor etiquette and helping Sir John Gielgud with his Latin (which he told me he hadn\u2019t done since 1914!) were also unforgettable moments. On the downside, there is absolutely no job security, and you rely on word of mouth (and a good agent) to find out what\u2019s\u00a0happening. As such, it\u2019s necessary to have a \u2018Plan B\u2019. Some historical consultants\u00a0are full-time academics, whereas I write books and magazine\u00a0columns and give talks, among other things.<\/p>\n
![\""Justin\"]( "\\"\"Justin\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Justin (left) in period costume on the set of the 1998 film Elizabeth, showing director Shekhar Kapur how to bow in a Tudor fashion. (Picture by Justin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n How much research do you typically need to do?<\/h3>\n
When I started in TV, work on a documentary series typically began with three months in the British Library just reading and taking notes. That initial work is now usually done online in a matter of weeks. I tend to start with primary sources \u2013 not because they are necessarily the most accurate, but because they feature the small details that make a show feel authentic and contain stories unique to the era that no writer, no matter how good, could come up with. After that, it\u2019s library work for anything that I can\u2019t get online, followed by museum visits and \u2013 most importantly of all \u2013 talking to academics, curators and custodians. I use specialists all the time, as only they have the details I need. I couldn\u2019t do without them.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Poldark,\u00a0Peaky Blinders\u00a0and 6 other historical TV shows that have tourists flocking to Britain<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
![\""Justin\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/06\/Justin-Pollard-1-6cd48d8-e1687421538799.jpg?quality=90&resize=274%2C413"\" "\\"\"Justin\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Justin\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2023\/06\/Scan-2-1-41e8498-e1687421567261.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C412"\" "\\"\"Justin\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>