If you have not yet heard of big data analytics filmmaking then you are about to see into the future.

You are most likely reading this on some kind of smart device or PC. All of these computer systems require data to operate. Today, data is sent and received across the Internet in enormous volumes. It is possible for a single smartphone user to use more than 1 gigabyte worth of data in a single day. This amount was more than the first decade used by the entire internet.

PC users frequently get through far more data than this due to larger page formats that require more data. The collection and interpretation of this data is known as “big data analytics”.

In this article, we are going to look at how big data analytics can and will be used to improve movies.

What do we need data for?

Every single time you click your computer mouse, tap a button on your phone screen or use a keyboard, you are entering data that will be sent somewhere. These commands are sent to your device which then sends them off via the internet to the companies which run your apps or websites.

These companies then process this data according to the request you have made.

So, for example, if you select a particular movie on the short film platform Sofy.tv, then the platform will open the webpage where you can view the movie. However, this is not all the platform does with this data. It also records your choice and uses its sophisticated movie recommendation AI system to interpret your selection and thereby improve the movies that you are recommended in the future.

The ways in which the data that we are constantly providing companies can be used is almost limitless. Everything from the way the companies tailor advertisements for your specific hobbies and interests to what movies are music are recommended to you can be enhanced with big data analytics.

Up steps big data analytics

Ever since the inception of the home computer, companies such as Microsoft have been looking for ways to improve their service by interpreting the data that we provide.

Over the years, thanks to an increasing amount of data as well as increasingly sophisticated computers and software, companies have been able to refine the process of extrapolating trends or patterns from large pools of data.

The software that has been developed to perform such interpretations is now so sophisticated that it can even identify the ingredients of a particular movie. So, in essence, big data analytics is the art or science of using sophisticated computer software to identify patterns in large datasets.

Data-driven movie making

Given the early success of companies such as Amazon and Netflix with using big data analytics to improve their customer service, it seemed obvious that almost every industry in the world would quickly follow their lead.

The movie industry is no exception.

For years upon years, the movie industry has had to rely on individuals such as movie studio bosses or producers to green light film scripts that they believed would make money.

Producers were then required to also oversee productions and make important decisions based more on gut feelings rather than concrete data. Because of this system, Hollywood has green-lighted and produced some appalling movies, some of which should never be made. Others, on the other hand, could have been improved by understanding their audience better.

The problem was that other than test screenings, there was no way for producers to understand their audience. That was, of course, until the introduction of big data analytic moviemaking.

Data-driven movie-making allows companies such as Largo to provide movie producers and film companies with in-depth analysis of the movies that they are either considering greenlighting or in the process of making.

As a result, big data analytics in moviemaking offers filmmakers and production companies the chance to see into the future and understand what their audience reaction is going to be.

Future is now

Big data moviemaking is set to revolutionize the entire industry. Already, major Hollywood studios such as Sony Entertainment have engaged the services of leading companies such as Largo to analyze their projects to see how well they will perform at the box office.

Our LargoAI system showed how accurately it can predict movie gross by estimating a box office gross of $201 million when the film went on to earn $213.

Being able to predict an accurate gross before a film has even been made is just the tip of the iceberg. Sophisticated big data analytics system such as LargoAI are also able to analyze films to suggest changes and even select the best actors for specific roles.

LargoAI is able to analyze a movie from the script level to see identify weaknesses in the script that audiences might not find very appealing. With this information, producers can rewrite these portions to ensure that the movie will become a success.

From this early script phase, right the way through to the final cut, our LargoAI system is able to constantly help to improve the production. Poor actor choices can be illuminated with LargoAI, something which will also help greatly boost the revenue generated by the film.

Even when a film is complete, LargoAI can continue to help make it a success.

LargoAI is also able to help film production companies undertake target marketing rather than traditional, more ineffective forms of blanket market. Target marketing is the art of marketing a product only to the desired audience, thereby avoiding those that will not be interested in it.

One example could be advertising a new Vin Diesel movie on any social media pages associated with that actor.

This would ensure the best return on investment for a productions marketing budget because most of the people viewing for those pages would likely go to see the new movie. Before the advent of big data analytics, such a form of marketing was hard to come by.

These are just some of the ways that big data analytic filmmaking is set to revolutionize the movie industry in the future. If you wish to learn more about data-driven moviemaking then contact Largo today for a free demonstration.