Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love
Kevin Goetz
Nov 2021 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Kevin Goetz
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About this audiobook
Discover the fascinating and secretive process of audience testing of Hollywood movies through these firsthand stories from famous filmmakers, studio heads, and stars.
Audience-ology takes you to one of the most unknown places in Hollywood—a place where famous directors are reduced to tears and multi-millionaire actors to fits of rage. A place where dreams are made and fortunes are lost. From “the best in the business” (Sacha Baron Cohen), this book is the chronicle of how real people have written and rewritten America’s cinematic masterpieces by showing up, watching a rough cut of a new film, and giving their unfettered opinions so that directors and studios can salvage their blunders, or better yet, turn their movies into all-time classics.
Each chapter informs an aspect or two of the test-screening process and then, through behind-the-scenes stories, illustrates how that particular aspect was carried out. Nicknamed “the doctor of audience-ology,” Kevin Goetz shares how he helped filmmakers and movie execs confront the misses and how he recommended ways to fix the blockbusters, as well as first-hand accounts from Ron Howard, Cameron Crowe, Ed Zwick, Renny Harlin, Jason Blum, and other Hollywood luminaries who brought you such films as La La Land, Chicago, Titanic, Wedding Crashers, Jaws, and Forrest Gump.
Audience-ology explores one of the most important (and most underrated) steps in the filmmaking process with enough humor, drama, and surprise to entertain those with only a spectator’s interest in film, offering us a new look at movie history.
Audience-ology takes you to one of the most unknown places in Hollywood—a place where famous directors are reduced to tears and multi-millionaire actors to fits of rage. A place where dreams are made and fortunes are lost. From “the best in the business” (Sacha Baron Cohen), this book is the chronicle of how real people have written and rewritten America’s cinematic masterpieces by showing up, watching a rough cut of a new film, and giving their unfettered opinions so that directors and studios can salvage their blunders, or better yet, turn their movies into all-time classics.
Each chapter informs an aspect or two of the test-screening process and then, through behind-the-scenes stories, illustrates how that particular aspect was carried out. Nicknamed “the doctor of audience-ology,” Kevin Goetz shares how he helped filmmakers and movie execs confront the misses and how he recommended ways to fix the blockbusters, as well as first-hand accounts from Ron Howard, Cameron Crowe, Ed Zwick, Renny Harlin, Jason Blum, and other Hollywood luminaries who brought you such films as La La Land, Chicago, Titanic, Wedding Crashers, Jaws, and Forrest Gump.
Audience-ology explores one of the most important (and most underrated) steps in the filmmaking process with enough humor, drama, and surprise to entertain those with only a spectator’s interest in film, offering us a new look at movie history.
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December 1, 2023
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About the author
Kevin Goetz is the founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, a global leader in entertainment research and strategy, serving all the major film studios, television networks, and streaming services. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of Hollywood, having personally tested over 5,000 film titles, and his work significantly impacts how movies are made, marketed, and released. In 2024, Kevin received American Cinematheque’s prestigious Power of Cinema Award for his contributions to the film industry. He is the author of the bestselling Audience-ology and How to Score in Hollywood, which explores the secrets to success in the movie business. Kevin hosts the popular Don’t Kill the Messenger podcast and continues educating the filmmaking community through keynote speeches and global presentations. He has produced twelve TV movies, including the Emmy-winning Wild Iris, and the 2024 documentary Children in the Fire. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy, and the Producers Guild of America, Kevin also serves on the boards of six nonprofit organizations. He currently resides in Beverly Hills with his husband, Neil, and their labradoodle, Kasha.
Darlene Hayman is a well-respected market research analyst specializing in the motion picture category. She is an expert in evaluating test audience data and uncovering insights to help filmmakers and studios understand moviegoers’ reactions to their films. She has earned a reputation for distilling the research into succinct conclusions that can be used to refine movies during final stages of postproduction. Darlene has collaborated with Kevin Goetz for the past fifteen years and joins him as coauthor of Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love. She continues her work with Mr. Goetz’s company, Screen Engine/ASI. Her research experience follows a two-decades career in the ad agency business. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene has spent her entire adult life in the Los Angeles area where she currently resides with her husband, Steve.
Darlene Hayman is a well-respected market research analyst specializing in the motion picture category. She is an expert in evaluating test audience data and uncovering insights to help filmmakers and studios understand moviegoers’ reactions to their films. She has earned a reputation for distilling the research into succinct conclusions that can be used to refine movies during final stages of postproduction. Darlene has collaborated with Kevin Goetz for the past fifteen years and joins him as coauthor of Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love. She continues her work with Mr. Goetz’s company, Screen Engine/ASI. Her research experience follows a two-decades career in the ad agency business. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene has spent her entire adult life in the Los Angeles area where she currently resides with her husband, Steve.
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