Case Study
Assessing Beliefs and Expectations of Representation in the Film Industry
Role: Director, Human Intelligence – sparks & honey
Skills: Qual & Quant Research (Design, Implementation, Analysis), DEI
Industry: Motion Pictures
Client: Head of Inclusive Content
Background
As a freelance research director, I led a mixed-methods Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) study for the Head of Diverse Content at a major film company. The objective was to understand the habits and expectations of diverse audiences regarding representation in film. This research was part of a broader consumer trends report aimed at informing the company's content strategy to better serve these audiences.
Methods
1) Establishing Objectives
Collaborating with the client and the strategy team, we defined specific areas of exploration and agreed on a methodology that combined surveys to capture broad views on representation and in-depth interviews for nuanced perspectives. The study focused on underrepresented demographics, including various races, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, ensuring a rich representation from minority groups.
Fig. 1: Cultural trends that informed research design
Fig. 2: Research Summary
2) Survey & Interview Guide Design
The survey and discussion guide for in-depth interviews was developed with inputs from the strategy team and the film company. I was given a few overview slides outlining the themes being developed by the strategy team. The client also requested that we present a synopsis of an upcoming film release, and gather feedback. The survey and interview guide were designed to balance clarity and depth, considering the sensitive nature of DEI topics. Key question types included:
Demographic and Psychographic Screener Questions (e.g., "Which of the following best describes your racial or ethnic identity?")
General Questions (e.g., "What types of films do you enjoy watching?")
Consumer Behavioral Questions related to representation (e.g., "How important is it to you that films feature characters who share your background?")
Reactions to Upcoming Film (e.g., “What are your initial thoughts about the film? Does this seem like a movie you would want to see in theaters?”)
Open-Ended Questions to capture nuanced attitudes (e.g., "Can you describe a film that you felt represented your identity well?")
An external research company was hired to recruit participants and administer the survey, ensuring a diverse and representative sample.
Fig. 3: Discussion guide outline
3) Conducting Interviews
Recognizing my identity as a white male and the sensitive nature of discussions around diversity, I engaged strategists of similar racial backgrounds as the non-white participants to conduct the interviews.
We also focused on building rapport with participants by starting out with more general movie behavior questions, and providing scripts to transition to more sensitive topics.
An external research company was hired to recruit participants and administer the survey. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and sent to me for analysis.
Fig. 4: Interview guide (excerpt)
Analysis & Reporting
4) Thematic Analysis of Interview Transcripts
While my colleague worked through initial analysis of survey responses, I conducted a qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts, coding responses to identify recurring themes and nuanced perspectives. Key themes included:
Desire for Authentic Representation: Participants emphasized the need for films to portray diverse characters authentically, avoiding stereotypes.
Impact on Viewing Choices: Many reported that representation influenced their decision to watch certain films, with a preference for content reflecting their own experiences.
Perceived Progress and Gaps: While some acknowledged improvements in diversity, others highlighted ongoing gaps, particularly in lead roles and storytelling depth.
Representative quotes were extracted to illustrate these themes, providing rich, qualitative context to the quantitative data.
Fig. 5: Interview annotations (excerpt)
Fig. 6: Interview quotes (excerpt)
Fig. 7: Interview themes (excerpt)
5) Merging Findings with Quant Analysis
Once I had completed the analysis, I created a top-line report, which included 10 themes, supported with quotes and potential implications (fig. 8) for the client. The individual responsible for the quantitative analysis developed a summary of the survey results (fig. 9), and we worked to identify connections that might strengthen our summarized themes.
Fig. 8: Interview summary (excerpt)
Fig. 9: Quantitative survey summary (excerpt)
6) Final Deliverables
The client received a detailed report featuring:
Thematic Analysis: In-depth exploration of key themes, supported by participant quotes.
Quantitative Insights: Statistical summaries of survey responses, highlighting trends across demographics.
Actionable Recommendations: Suggestions for content development, such as investing in stories that reflect the experiences of underrepresented groups and ensuring diverse talent in key creative roles.
Fig. 10: Selection of slides from final report
Conclusion & Reflections
This study underscored the significance of authentic representation in the film industry and its impact on audience engagement. By combining qualitative and quantitative research, the client gained actionable insights to inform their content strategy, aiming to better serve diverse and underrepresented audiences. Future research could explore the effectiveness of specific representation initiatives and their influence on audience perceptions and box office performance.
The qualitative summary/handoff was the final deliverable for my freelance contract, which meant the cultural strategists at the consumer trends firm were responsible for incorporating the data into their final report. Weeks later, I received a final report. While insightful, I noticed many missed opportunities for providing a deeper quantitative analysis. There was very limited identity group-specific perspectives. In particular, I would have liked to see more analysis on underrepresented groups’ beliefs on representation and how that impacts their consumer choices.
After the project, I reached out to the project lead to share my feedback on the work. I provided a few suggestions for how we could improve our partnership, which included increased check-ins with the strategy team to ensure better alignment on the direction and depth of the analysis.