StephenFollows.com - Using data to explain the film industry

StephenFollows.com - Using data to explain the film industry

Are claims of mid-budget movies disappearing true?
Twelve US states have just ordered the new Paramount / Warner studio to release 30 films a year. I crunched the data on 170,279 films to see what…
 • Stephen Follows
How many film festivals pay cash prizes?
I read the current rules of 423 film festivals to find every prize that pays money, how big the pots are, when they fall in the year and what kind of…
 • Stephen Follows
Why we stopped going to the movies
How streaming trained audiences to wait—and why Hollywood still needs theaters.
 • Daniel Parris
Is the teal and orange look over in movies?
I measured the colour of every shot in 8,135 films, from 1930 to today, to find out when warm faces against cold shadows took over the movies, and…
 • Stephen Follows
The most dangerous jobs in movies
WATCH THIS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE (in movies (if you have certain jobs (and even then, may not help))) I analysed 43,983 films and 328,558 named characters…
 • Stephen Follows
Is TIFF’s market here to stay?
I attended Toronto’s new film market, and went through 3 years of Canadian govt accounts, 145 public statements and attendance records of other markets…
 • Stephen Follows
What happened to location filming in London?
Filming on London’s streets has halved in a decade, so I teamed up with Matt Gallagher to ask 57 location professionals what happened.
 • Stephen Follows and thecallsheetUK
Has Hollywood given up on the happy ending?
I tracked the endings of 7,384 films, and measured the emotions on 1.57 million actors’ faces, to find out whether the movies still send us home happy.
 • Stephen Follows
How much more do hotels charge during the Cannes Film Festival?
I tracked the nightly price of 224 hotels in and around Cannes to find out how hard the film festival hits the wallet, and how early the town sells out.
 • Stephen Follows
Ultimate tips for attending the Toronto Film Festival and Market
38 tips from 271 producers, sales agents, buyers, programmers and funders, carrying 2,114 years of Toronto between them, all sharing what they wish…
 • Stephen Follows

August 2026

© 2026 Stephen Follows · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture