Data science has a place beyond the tech field. Entertainment, for example, can benefit by measuring the moods and taste of a fickle audience. As studios invest hundreds of millions into their film projects, even a slight advantage can make a huge difference in returns. The business of predicting audiences, however, still has a ways to go, according to Yves Bergquist (pictured), project director of data and analytics, Entertainment Technology Center, at the University of Southern California.

“It is still very much an art,” said Bergquist, who stopped by theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio, to talk with host Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), during the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. (*Disclosure below.)

Bergquist and Frick discussed data science and the power of narratives in the entertainment industry.

Media, audiences and systems

They key question for data science in the entertainment industry revolves around why people make the choices they do. Right now, there’s no good answer, Bergquist stated. However, the field is making progress by building up its methods. Data science allows people to see the industry as a system, and that’s revolutionizing the way companies look at things.

The trouble is that the entertainment industry is in a unique position. All of its customers are experts who have seen hundreds of movies and shows. Meanwhile, the industry itself has only a small window into who their customers are and what they like, Bergquist explained. This means studios have a natural tendency to stick to formulas, as they lack the information to safely be creative. Demographics used to be the standard model for information, but that’s a poor measure at best, he said. Now, it’s about what influences drive people to see a given movie.

“We’re still in the infancy of measuring these things in a scientific way,” Bergquist said. “Our philosophy is that everything is story.”

People make real-life decisions based on the world they see, even if it’s in film or on TV, Bergquist added. This is especially powerful when it comes to what people buy. The narrative around a given brand helps define it and drives sales, and society is entering a world where companies can understand how people react to stories and narratives, he concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial coverage of the NAB Show. (*Disclosure: Western Digital is sponsoring theCUBE’s coverage at the show. Neither Western Digital nor other sponsors have editorial influence on content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE