12 May Oscar Winning Movies Are Getting Better
Analysing a dataset of feature films that were awarded the Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards between 1987 and 2014, I found that the quality of these films had improved gradually over time. To arrive at this conclusion, I noted the MetaCritic scores out of 100 for each film. MetaCritic seemed to me to be the best metric for analysing the quality of a film, as the ranking takes into consideration the opinions of film experts and critics as well as those of audience members and the general public.
The graph I have produced is, I believe, ideal for communicating this trend in as simple a format as possible. The line through the years clearly illustrates the trend over time, with an average through-line coloured red to minimise the visual prominence of the large troughs in 1995, 2000 and 2005. The three highest-rated films in the chart (Schindler’s List 1993, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 2003, 12 Years a Slave 2013) are highlighted so as to stand out to any curious viewers.
Despite the strengths of this layout, it must be acknowledged that the graphic is deeply flawed. The layout, while sleek and uncluttered, is uninspiring and unlikely to win awards for aesthetic innovation. The use of colour is minimal, and there is no use at all of novel shapes or eye-catching design. I accept fully my failure to effectively plan for this assignment and my poor understanding of the complexity and time-consuming nature of this task.
In order to improve this graphic in the future, I would seek first to fundamentally alter the the presentation of the data gathered. Rather than a straightforward line chart, I would seek to show the rising and falling of the MetaCritic scores by using a more eye-catching method of presenting the figures. One way of doing this may be to illustrate the average score over a longer timeframe, averaging the scores of five-year periods and displaying the resulting score as an Oscar statuette, with its height proportional to the height of the others depending on their relative standings.
Furthermore, I would seek to expand the scope of the data included. I would draw attention to the failure of critical favourites such as Synecdoche, New York or Mulholland Drive to achieve wins despite their being extremely well-regarded and being released on years where the winner achieved a below average score (2008 and 2001, respectively).
Overall, while this graphic is deeply flawed, it has provided an enlightening opportunity for me to expand my understanding of data visualisation and graphic design. Nonetheless, the graphic as it stands is sleek, clear, easy to read and the black-on-white colour scheme features enough contrast to make the information stand out easily on any device, at any brightness, in any environment.
