Film Industry: A Field In England concluded

Media Magazine: the appeal of arthouse cinema

Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24.

1) Summarise the article in 50 words.
The article discusses how different arthouse films are compared to mainstream films. Arthouse films 'are artistic rather than commercial in character.' This means that the creators focus on the aesthetic of the film and the narrative rather than what will allow them to make the most money. They are films that are purposely difficult to understand or ‘read’- arthouse cinema is often allusive; it gains its meanings through reference to other texts. Despite the fact that arthouse movies are not as popular as mainstream movies, 'if you don’t like ‘highbrow’ art, such as these movies, you are in some way inferior to those who do.'

2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
Arthouse films are pleasurable in the fact that one has to dig deeper in to the film and indulge more in to the characters in order to understand the full concept. Some arthouse movies may require additional research in order for an audience to understand them but, for a target audience, this is pleasurable as it allows them to have that 'mind blown' moment and appreciate the film even more.

3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
Some audiences struggle with arthouse films because they can't infer the meaning of the film from the hints given throughout it. Arthouse film require much concentration and depiction. Bourdieu theorised that having such ‘cultural competences’ to read difficult texts gave the individual cultural capital and is one of the ways in which social class is emphasised. In other words, if you can't understand arthouse films, you are deemed less able than those who can.

4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
I think that arthouse films are for an older middle class audience to a large extent. This is because older people have more patience and will therefore be more willing to take time and understand a film rather than watch it for the sole purpose of entertainment. Furthermore, middle class people tend to be highly educated so will understand the hidden meanings in these types of films.

5) What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to? What about Chicken?
Both of these films appeal to a niche, middle class, white British audience who are roughly aged 25-45 years old. They are the type of people who enjoy watching arthouse films and like trying something different.

A Field In England: BFI report on the release strategy and commercial success

1) Read this BFI Insight report into the release and reception of the film. What was the purpose of the report? 

The purpose of the report was to try and distinguish how successful the rare release strategy of A Field in England was.

2) What was the budget for A Field In England?
£316,879 (was fully financed by Film4)

3) What were the key numbers in terms of cinema box office takings, TV viewers, VOD and DVD sales? 

• The film made £21,399 in its opening weekend in theoretical theatres across 17 venues (77% of them said they knew it was available free on TV)
• Generated 367,000 views during the Film4 screening
• Total television views- 918,000
• Total DVD/BluRay sales- 7,577 (October 2013)
• 3,133 streams on iTunes

4) What was the primary target audience for A Field In England? Does this surprise you? How does it contrast with your answer to question 5 in the tasks above?
The primary target audience was ABC1 18-25 years old and some 25-35 year olds. This does surprise me because I expected the target audience to be aged older. However, I suppose the younger audience does make sense as the film is about drugs which would attract a younger audience who is interested in trying new things.

5) What did the report conclude with regards to social media and the marketing campaign? How does this link to our Chicken case study?
Social media was essential in the success of the films release strategy. It allowed audiences to become aware of the film and where they can watch it. It created just enough buzz in order to make the film successful. 

6) Finally, what was the BFI's conclusion with regards to the unusual release strategy for A Field In England? Was it a success? What evidence is provided to argue this point?
The BFI's final conclusion was that the rellease strategy was successful. They used data from cinemas, TV views, etc to prove this. Furthermore, they compared A Field in England to another film- The Future 90k p&a - which had a budget of over one million pounds but had over 6,000 less DVD sales than A Field in England.