# Tension Economy

A distribution and audience framework for independent film, television, and culture projects.

## Core Idea

Your project doesn't need to reach everyone. It needs to activate someone so intensely they can't shut up about it.

The Tension Economy gives you a way to identify which cultural tension your work activates, map where that audience lives, and time your release to cultural change windows instead of festival calendars.

## When to Use This

- You have a film, series, or cultural project and need to find its audience.
- You're deciding whether a project is commercially viable before production.
- You're planning a release and want to optimize timing, platform, and audience spend.
- You're evaluating a project in development and need an honest commercial lens.

## Framework Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `framework.md` | The complete Tension Economy framework: mechanism, change windows, audience math, shareability design, theatrical viability, implementation phases, revenue model, and case studies. |
| `evaluation-template.md` | Per-question scoring tool: 0/5/10 criteria for all 16 questions across 7 sections. Run against any project to determine framework fit and pinpoint which sections are weakest. |
| `examples/chi-fechil-core-audience.md` | A full audience memo for a TV series: Core definition, sizing, recruitment behavior, commercial thresholds, and audience rings. |
| `examples/chi-fechil-evaluation.md` | A scored development evaluation of the same series, episode by episode. |
| `examples/chi-fechil-pitch-evaluation.md` | A full scored pitch evaluation (100/160) of the same series at the incoming pitch stage, using the evaluation template. |
| `examples/boy-from-the-red-sea-pitch-evaluation.md` | A full scored pitch evaluation (110/160) of a live-action family feature, showing the framework applied to a different format and tension type. |
| `examples/dead-dog-distribution-analysis.md` | The framework applied live in a distribution negotiation: identifying Core when the director cannot, resolving the director/distributor audience disagreement, and engineering a shareable concept from the fault line. |

## Quick Start

1. Read `framework.md` for the full model.
2. Open `evaluation-template.md` and score your project using the 0/5/10 guidance for each question.
3. Browse the `examples/` directory for the scenario closest to your use case.
4. Re-run the evaluation after every major structural revision.

## Scoring Guide

- **130–160 points:** Strong fit — proceed with tension-aware distribution planning.
- **100–129 points:** Workable with adjustments — tighten tension identification, audience definition, or shareability design.
- **Below 100 points:** Framework mismatch — the project may need fundamental reframing or may not be suited to tension-driven distribution.

## License

Created by Cultscale. Use it, adapt it, share it.

## Repository

Private source: https://github.com/cultscale/tension-economy