Rationalising creative uncertainty? The negotiated use of audience feedback in Danish film production

Abstract In this article, I examine how the use of audience feedback in film production shapes creative decision-making. While existing scholarship often views audience data as a rationalising tool that reduces risk and economic uncertainty, little research has explored how such practices function within creative processes. Drawing on an empirical case study from the Danish film production culture, where a novel audience research initiative institutionalises interfacing with proxy audiences at the early stage of script development, I analyse how filmmakers negotiate the integration of audience insights. The analysis finds that audience research does not dissolve uncertainty, as the creative uncertainty of translating feedback into concrete creative action persists. This is underlined by the negotiated nature of the process, where filmmakers selectively filter and resist audience input, often privileging their creative vision over audience sentiment. These insights nuance prevailing claims about the predictive capacity of data-driven production and demonstrate that the negotiation between creativity and audience data is a contested feature of contemporary media production.