A Field In England

A Field In England is a low-budget arthouse film by award-winning director Ben Wheatley. It was released on 5th July 2013 across cinema, DVD/Blu-ray, TV and VoD.

It is described as a psychedelic trip into Civil War era rural England and attracted attention due to both the director and the highly creative release and distribution method.

A Field In England is an excellent second case study because the official website contains a huge amount of information about the film from initial idea and financing to filming, editing and its remarkable release strategy.

The more you read, the more confidently you will be able to use the film in your exam answer, comparing it to Ill Manors’ release and target audience.

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

Read the Media Magazine article on A Field In England and write a 100 word summary of the article.

You'll need the log-in details for the subscriber site for Media Magazine:

Username: mediamagazine11

Password: qp726zr

Now read the following pages on the official website that provide explanations of the unique release strategy that the institutions behind the film chose:

Industrial Evolution: Producer Andy Starke on the music industry influences informing A Field In England’s release strategy.  
Screening/radical release: Commissioning Executive Anna Higgs on the groundbreaking release plans for A Field In England.
Audience: Anna Higgs discusses where A Field In England sits within British cinema and how it will reach its intended audience for the film.

Now answer the following questions on your blog:

1. How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases?
2. What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?
3. What are the disadvantages to this approach?
4. What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.
5. Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?

Extension work: read the rest of the official website's digital masterclass – there is a huge amount of information about the film from initial idea and financing to filming, editing and release.

Homework: Ensure the reading and five questions are completed by next week.