Cinema Counts: The Computational Turn and Quantitative Methods in Film Studies
Miłosz Stelmach
milosz.stelmach@gmail.comJagiellonian University (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4004-7121
Abstract
The aim of this text is a critical analysis of current developments and potential applications of quantitative methods in film studies. Within its scope, a concise reconstruction of the methodological foundations, historical development, and key achievements of statistical, experimental, and digital humanities tools in relation to audiovisual media research is conducted. This involves a review of the phenomena that have developed so far as well as a philosophical consideration of the sources, consequences, and potential limitations of quantitative thinking in an area traditionally occupied by the humanities. Quantitative methods are not considered here as a replacement for existing paradigms, but rather as their complement, extension, and often inspiration. This allows to understand the current transformations but also integrate them with traditional research approaches, and identify the pitfalls and difficulties associated with this paradigm shift.
Keywords:
quantitative methods, digital humanities, computational turn, film studies, data-driven humanitiesReferences
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Authors
Miłosz Stelmachmilosz.stelmach@gmail.com
Jagiellonian University Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4004-7121
Research and Teaching Assistant in film studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Editor-in-chief of the film magazine Ekrany. His main research interests are cinematic modernism, cinema of Eastern Europe, and transformations of contemporary arthouse cinema.
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