Listening to audiences to remain relevant: Audience research as a new production method for Scandinavian screen cultures in transition

Abstract

This article explores the new production strategies for reaching audiences currently being put into practice in the Danish screen industry. Building on studies and theories of the changed audience–industry relation following the breakthrough of streaming, this qualitative case study investigates how audience research was implemented in the production framework behind the Danish youth film Smuk (Pretty Young Thing) () to increase the film’s relevance with young audiences. The analysis highlights the differences between traditional story research and audience research as well as the challenges and opportunities of involving audience feedback in the early stages of the creative process. Finally, I discuss the implications of this new approach for classical European film industries that consider film a cultural good rather than a strictly commercial product.