Cinemetrics in the Digital Humanities Era: Theoretical Evolution, Methodological Innovation, and Research Frontiers

Abstract

Cinemetrics has emerged as an interdisciplinary field within Digital Humanities, undergoing a developmental trajectory from Barry Salt’s scientistic foundation through Yuri Tsivian’s platform building to the current computational phase driven by computer vision technologies. This article traces the theoretical genealogy of Cinemetrics, with particular attention to its paradigm shift from “container” measurements such as cutting rate and shot duration to “content” analysis of color, sets, props, and costumes. We synthesize research across four thematic dimensions: epistemological debates and methodological paradigms; technical evolution and multimodal expansion; localized development in China and cross-cultural adaptations; and research gaps and future possibilities. Chinese scholars have conducted significant localized explorations in directorial style analysis, genre evolution studies, narrative quantification, production design research, and industrial mode investigations. Yet the field still faces persistent challenges, including small sample sizes, limited causal inference methods, and insufficient integration with film theory. This review advances two core propositions: Cinemetrics represents a fundamental paradigm transformation from meaning-oriented interpretation to form-based measurement; successful research requires integrating three dimensions—technological capability, cultural contextualization, and methodological rigor. Future work should move from descriptive statistics to causal inference, develop localized datasets and open-science platforms, and build constructive dialogue between quantitative measurement and interpretive meaning-making, thereby transforming Cinemetrics from a marginal tool into a core research paradigm.