Lab coats in Hollywood : science, scientists, and cinema / David A. Kirby.

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, [2011], ©2011.

xiv, 265 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Scientific expertise in Hollywood : the interactions between scientific and entertainment cultures -- Cinematic science : scientific representation, film realism, and virtual witnessing technologies -- Valuing expertise : the entertainment industry's and scientific community's motivations in the science consulting relationship -- Scientists on screen : being a scientist, looking like a lab -- Cinematic fact checking : negotiating scientific facts within filmmaking culture -- Best guesses : scientific uncertainty, flexibility, and scientists in the aisles -- Fantastically logical : fantastic science, speculative scenarios, and the expertise of logic -- Preventing future disasters : science consultants and the enhancement of cinematic disasters -- The future is now : diegetic prototypes and the role of cinematic narratives in generating real-world technological development -- Improving science, improving entertainment : the significance of scientists in Hollywood.

Includes bibliographical references and index.