This analysis is about production companies of feature films and the films that they make. Filmmakers are in the fascinating position in which, unlike some other kinds of firms, they must constantly release novel, creative productions that are finely tuned into uncertain and ever-changing audience interests. Many organizations struggle to adapt to changing environments and audience interests, and struggle to remain competitive—consider the position of a firm IBM today, as opposed to twenty years ago. Yet, the same production companies that were dominant decades ago remain some of the most viable today. How are they able to adapt so effectively to new filmmaking technologies and audience interests? Production companies’ collaboration patterns and networks may help us explain some of this puzzle.
- the number of new, never-before-seen keywords that are used in a film
- the number of new combinations of existing keywords that are used in a film
( To account for the natural time cycle of the production process, consider a keyword or combination to be “new” if it has been introduced within the last three years)
- i. Peripheral solo productions: films made by a single specialist
- ii. Central solo productions: films made by a single generalist
- iii. Central co-productions: films made by a group of multiple generalists
- iv. Peripheral co-productions: films made by a group of multiple specialists
- v. Hybrid co-productions: films made by a group of generalists and specialists
( A producer will be classified as a generalist if it makes more than one film in a year.)