Data Methods Initiative seminar presented by Vejune Zemaityte: Data-driven film industry research

Dr Vejune Zemaityte is a Senior Research Fellow in Film Data Analytics at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM), Tallinn University, Estonia. Vejune uses data analysis and visualisation techniques, including network analysis, to study global screen industries. She researches film production, theatrical film distribution, film festival circuit, public service television, and historical newsreels.

Participation in international film festivals is crucial for films, particularly for independent productions in smaller markets, as they facilitate critical recognition, audience engagement, and distribution opportunities. Our research utilizes the Cinando database, managed by Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, to conduct data-driven analyses of the festival circuit, modeling festivals as a global network and examining the diversity and public value of festival programming. This investigation helps understand why certain films succeed internationally and includes a discussion on the challenges and insights gained from working with "found" data not originally intended for research purposes. This talk will discuss some of the quantitative approaches we applied to the film festival database, highlighting not only our results but also the process of working with so-called “found” data created for reasons other than research. 

Find out more via the Data Methods Initiative website