“Perfect Film” Formula

Robotic much?

To create a hit movie directors need to combine seven essential elements in the right proportions to ensure they have success, according to university lecturer Sue Clayton.

Her research has revealed that the blueprint for a perfect feature must have: action 30pc, comedy 17pc, good v evil 13pc, love/sex/romance 12pc, special effects 10pc, plot 10pc and music 8pc.

The study was based on detailed analysis of a cross-section of the highest grossing films in the UK in the past 10 years, ranging from Brit-flicks such as The Full Monty and Notting Hill to big budget blockbusters like Die Another Day and Titanic.

….Toy Story 2, a Disney Pixar production, was the film that had the closest match to the blueprint. The animated tale grossed more than £44m at the UK box office. [Daily Post]

I would say this is an interesting composite analysis of previous hits, but I would also say it has about zero predictive power for future successes – it is HOW those elements are combined into a coherent whole that makes art, or even just entertainment, not compositional statistics.