'Nobody can truly participate in the motion picture business without looking at numbers of all kinds, and especially those numbers which represent the collective and comparative decisions of paying customers.'
Art Murphy, Boxoffice Register
Nobody knows anything?
The screenwriter William Goldman famously wrote that in the 'entire movie industry [...] NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING' (Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood).
The more prosaic truth is that EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMETHING (EVEN IF THEY DON"T KNOW IT), although F. Scott Fitzgerald is probably correct that few 'have ever been able to keep the whole equation of pictures in their head' (The Last Tycoon).
How, then, do you begin to make sense of the bewildering business of film? As good a place as any to start is the huge body of research that has accumulated over the years from industry, public and academic sources. Economic analyses, market research, social and behavioural studies, policy papers...the list goes on. Plus, of course, box office data in its ubiquity: the very lifeblood of the commercial discourse of film, as Art Murphy makes clear.
Research galore!
The good news for anyone who cares to know it is that much of this information is freely available. You've just got to know where to look. And that, in a nutshell, is the modest aim of Bigger Picture Research. A place on the web where you can read about the latest in film-related research and chase links to key sources around the world.
BPR posts may be inspired by the publication of new research, or sparked by events in the news that touch on a relevant theme. Inevitably there'll be a UK focus, but I'm happy to range further afield if there's a good story to tell or idea to share.
About the author
This blog is written by Jim Barratt: jim (@) biggerpictureresearch (dot) com
I'm a freelance researcher and writer specialising in film. I undertake all manner of research and consultancy commissions for public and private sector clients, in the UK and internationally.
Prior to freelancing I was Head of Research & Statistics at the UK Film Council, Head of Policy at the Advertising Standards Authority and a Film and Video Examiner at the British Board of Film Classification. I have chaired the UK Film Research Network, and was previously a member of the BBFC’s Advisory Panel on Children’s Viewing. I hold a PhD, funded by the British Film Institute, and I am a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
My book about Peter Jackson's feature debut, Bad Taste, part of the Cultographies series, was published by Wallflower Press in December 2008. You can read an exclusive extract here.
For genuine work opportunities I'm happy to supply my full resumé on request- just drop me a line at the address above.
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