Data and Targeting Insider reports:
"Hollywood has begun to use data to determine the potential success of screenplays, [analyst Martin ] Kihn said. "There's a company in Hollywood that takes option[ed] screenplays owned by the studios that go through a rewrite process," he said. "They will analyze the story, just the plot points in the story … and run it through an algorithm, set of models, taking notes to determine how to change the screenplay. The models are based on what was successful in the past, the movies that did well. The company tells the studio what will make the story better based on data."
When I was writing scripts for Germany, some of the production companies and networks used a consulting service (based in the UK, I think) that analyzed scripts and created many colorful charts. They gave authoritative-sounding suggestions, designed to give the impression that writing is a science, not an art. I'm not aware of any hits that resulted from their input.
The inevitable end result of the Hollywood process will be one all-purpose screenplay they can make over and over again, just changing the actors and maybe the name of the superhero...hmm, maybe they've already done it.
Let's not limit this exciting idea to screenplays. I'm sure just "doing what worked in the past" is a great recipe for dealing with climate change, inequality, and wars as well--any number of politicians have already embraced the concept.
