Media production studies for the digital age: AI-driven analyses of Jonas Risvig’s Danish young adult content

Abstract

In this article, we propose a shift towards AI-driven methodologies in media production studies, encompassing data collection, processing, and visualisation. We highlight how online sources offer a valuable opportunity to understand contemporary trends and discourse around popular media. By focussing on serial dramas, we demonstrate that computational methods allow for the analysis of larger datasets, which enhances the validity of the results. However, we also uncover new challenges and complications arising from these methodological transformations. As a case study, we examine a dataset comprised of interviews with the Danish film and TV director and screenwriter Jonas Risvig and available material from his YouTube channel as data sources. From this example, we suggest that media production studies may incorporate even larger datasets from diverse online sources. We conclude that digital desktop production studies not only confirm existing knowledge but also provide novel insights into contemporary media production.