Show Me the Data!: Uncovering the Evidence in Screen Media Industry Research

Data can take many forms, can come from a variety of sources, and can vary in size. In this chapter, we focus on quantitative data and address how “big data” has created a range of new options for evaluating movie and broader industry performance. As a starting point, quantitative data provide the facts or evidence that at a summary level can be used as a reference to describe the state of the world as it stands. However, the use of data can enable further analysis using a range of techniques (such as data visualization) and quantitative methods (such as econometric modelling) to solve real world problems and address issues with policy relevance such as gender equality in the film industry.