Data Story

The Credit Roll Density

A film-strip wall where crew mix becomes a craft barcode and the roll thickens with density.

filmimdbtmdbcreditscrewdepartments
Dataset scope
7168
films
1914–2024
years
4081
with crew rows
30
departments
Department counts create each film’s banded signature. Click a strip to slow the roll and read the mix.
Loading credit roll density
Hypothesis

Distinct crew composition signatures exist beyond genre; denser, post-heavy mixes correlate with awards while lean signatures can outperform in ROI.

Question: Do crew composition signatures correlate with awards or ROI beyond budget and genre?

Method: Aggregate department counts per film and normalize by runtime; compare density and mix against awards and ROI.

Prediction: High-density signatures over-index on awards; ROI outliers cluster elsewhere.

Test: Compare distributions across density bins and highlight outliers.

Narrative Arc
Act I

Credits begin rolling — every film a strip, every department a band.

Act II

Some strips thicken with craft density, others stay lean and fast.

Act III

The roll freezes on signatures: award-sparkling mixes and ROI outliers.

Datasets
  • imdb.film_crew
  • imdb.film_awards
  • tmdb.movies
  • 16_credit_roll_density.json
Limitations
  • Crew data completeness varies widely by film and era.
  • Departments are inconsistent and require normalization.
  • Density can proxy budget/scale without controls.
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