Wider World of Film - Research Project - AWARD

There is plenty of evidence that audiences for film are changing (e.g. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-audiences-2018-12-17.pdf). In an age where any amount of visual content is available immediately and online, where technology enables search and access at the touch of a screen and where film at the cinema competes with an ever increasing variety of other out of home experiences it is becoming increasingly complex to understand and identify audience trends in both the choice and consumption of film. At present there are many sources of data on the consumption of film by audiences, at the cinema, on television, on DVD and Blu-Ray disk and to a more limited extent online. There is also evidence for the revenues generated for each element of the value chain and how this has changed through time. However we have little knowledge of how these link together. The lack of single source 'film touchpoint' evidence means there are key questions for the film and wider screen industry that we cannot currently answer (e.g. on consumption, spend, navigation and choice, film preference and technology). The key question for the research is 'What does the industry need to do in order to keep people engaged with film?' The answer to this question is likely to be multi-layered and will build in considerations of choice, spending, access to technology, personal values and social background. We have broken this down into a number of key questions which are necessarily wide ranging, and will increase the breadth and depth of knowledge we have about the total film ecosystem. It is likely that this will be the first time that a published study will identify the elements of 'total film' consumption across all touchpoints and platforms. This knowledge will inform the future exhibition and distribution of film, and provide an effective evidence base for future strategic decision making for a variety of industry stakeholders (including exhibitors, distributors, producers, home entertainment, etc.). We will consider any approach that meets our needs within the budget for this work, though we think that the study is likely to involve a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative research. We are keen that the findings can be used to deliver predictive models or algorithms that can be used to predict future behaviour - mostly around engagement with the cinema and paid for elements of film consumption. However, we are also keen to conduct qualitative work in order to better understand the 'why' behind the metrics. One key outcome is a single source quantitative study of film consumption across all platforms that can form the basis of a longitudinal study or research design that can be repeated in the future.