Each week I look at a different topic around the film industry, focusing on the data and statistics which reveal what’s going on.
Today’s research started out as a simple investigation into what percentage of UK films are dramas but quickly descended into exploring the meaning of genre. In the distribution world it’s often said that “drama is not a genre”. This means that most genres provide the audience with a clearly defined expectation of what the film will […]
I spent the weekend at the first of twelve sessions for the Micro-Budget Mentor scheme that I’m running with producer James Cotton. We had a lecture theatre full of keen micro-budget filmmakers and I spoke about at the current state of low and micro-budget filmmaking in the UK. In order to prepare, I looked in detail […]
Last week’s article didn’t feature any sexy charts, so I thought it would be a shame to disappoint film data nerds two weeks in a row. As penance, I thought I’d tackle a juicy topic I’ve had on my mind for a while: Do filmmakers lie about their budgets? The short answer is – yes, all […]
In order to conduct my data research I rely on a number of different sources. Some of the data is already publicly available, some I gather myself and some comes from asking organisations to make available information that has not previously been published. The BFI is one such source in this third category. In the […]
Last week I shared some results from a survey I conducted of 542 film industry business professionals who have attended Cannes, AFM or Berlin in the past five years. I looked at their perceptions of how much “micro” and “low” budget films cost, and the amount needed to make a ‘commercially viable’ film. Today I am […]
In November I am leading (along with James Cotton) a four-month part-time programme around micro-budget films. I want to ensure we’re teaching what is actually happening in the industry today, rather than outdated ideas or common misconceptions. So, being the data-driven fiend that I am, I have performed a number of studies into the topic. […]
Last month, I published a report into what percentage of crews on the top US grossing films of the past 20 years are women. I found that, on average, women made up only 23% of a typical film crew and in some jobs such as cinematography and composing, it was around 2%. The results were reported widely […]
To many, working in the film and television industry can sound a little nutty. Many job advertisements seem to read… Compliant drone needed to work long hours for low pay under unpleasant conditions. Must be willing to drop everything at short notice in return for no job security, no pension and fewer than one lunch […]
Today’s article contains new data that the BFI have released to me. Following research I carried out about UK Film Council / BFI funding of short films, I wondered what the success rate was for feature film funding applications and put in an enquiry. The National Lottery is the second largest source of public funding for films in the […]
It is becoming ever easier to make a feature film, thanks in large part to new technology which is cheaper and more accessible. We are currently in a boom for feature film production, with more films made in the UK last year than ever before. However, the size of movie audiences and the rate at which […]
