case study AS OCR media film industry

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwnlM4qpEU
trailer

2. A Field in England Case study
• Second independent film main case study

3. Let’s watch the trailer
From the trailer and reading the wiki plot summary-what are your first
thoughts?
• Does it have British appeal?
• Issues with the plot?
• A group of men desert the Civil War – captured, follows their
experiences of taking hallucinogenic drugs!
• Shoehorned in
• Doesn’t actually portray significant events within the civil war
• Drug-taking restricts audience range
• Unimpressive locations-amateur
• Random concept for a film
• Unknown actors
• How could it be marketed?
• Does it look like a film with a large budget spend?
Website:
http://www.afieldinengland.com/

4. • Budget: £300, 000
• Funding: Film Four (Film 4.0), Rook Films, BFI
(British Film Institute)
• Released simultaneously through cinemas,
DVD/Blu-ray, download, VOD and the Film Four
channel
• Shot entirely in black and white with a small cast
in just 12 days
• Unconventional mixture of narrative / setting /
themes / genre

5. Key factsRelease: 5 July 2013
budget: £300, 000
Box office: £ 64,000
Produced by Rook Films- Ben Wheatley’s own production
company
Financed by film 4.0 -film 4’s digital arm, allowing them
not to have to rely on production partners-more creative
freedom
BFI- £56,701 from the BFI to help with distribution
Ben Wheatley’s 4th film- others didn’t achieve financial
success despite some positive recognition critically
A contrasting example to Ex Machina- ‘A field in England’
is an independent film that has flopped rather than
profited and receiving commercial success

6. Useful reading links
• http://www.slideshare.net/jphibbert1979/a-
field-in-england-case-study-32490733
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwnlM4
qpEU
• http://www.ideastap.com/ideasmag/the-
knowledge/anna-higgs-film-4-digital-
distribution

7. Ben Wheatley
• an English director of films, TV comedy shows,
adverts, idents and internet ads.
• animations & games on the "Mr and Mrs Wheatley"
site helped him move into mainstream media.
• 2006 - directed parts of TV series Modern Toss
• May 2009 -directed the feature film Down
Terrace in 8 days.
• 2010-Wheatley completed his second film, Kill List
• 2012- 3rd film was comedy Sightseers-chosen for
the Directors' Fortnight section of Cannes Festival.
• his sci-fi TV series, Silk Road, will be screened on
HBO.
• directed the first two episodes of the 8th series
of Doctor Who

8. How appealing is the plot?
What problems are there with the film’s plot?
• Set during 17th century English Civil War-whilst
having surface appeal of British heritage within
the film’s plot, the narrative does not focus on
portraying this famous Historical event.
• Ben Wheatley’s interest in this historical event
isn’t realised-the film focuses more on the time
period’s use of hallucinogens/mushrooms.
• Could this be a contributing factor to the film’s
lack of appeal and therefore commercial success?

9. Cultural appeal?
• Commissioning Executive Anna Higgs on where A
Field In England sits within British cinema and how it
will reach its intended audience for the film:
“I think the film is going to really become a cult classic. If
you think about Nick Roeg’s films, Michael Reeve’s
Witchfinder General, all of that type of British cinema has
found a place in the wider world.
I was talking to someone this morning who had just
looked at the still in our Cannes brochure and said “God, I
don’t think anyone’s covered this period for I don’t know
how long – it takes me back.”
‘a genre-defying
psychedelic take on
the English Civil War’

10. funding
-developed and financed by Film4.0, ‘a division of Film4 that
serves as an innovation hub.’
‘we find and encourage new filmmaking talent through our
proactive development process and our traditionally strong
links with independent producers’.
Film4 have supported Wheatley in previous films-he proposed
a low budget film fitting their film 4.0 model-connecting talent
and ideas to audiences
‘Film4 is set to take a pioneering role in exploring the digital,
online arena through Film4.0. Its aim will be to find new talent
and discover new ways of making, marketing and distributing
films and engaging new audiences online.’
How might this be useful for an independent film studio?

11. In their own words
‘Film4.0 is a talent and idea driven hub within Film4 that works with
established and emerging talent, supporting them to tell unique stories
and connect with audiences in new ways
In 2011 Film4 launched its groundbreaking new role in exploring
innovation in filmmaking with the appointment of Anna Higgs as
Commissioning Executive for Film4.0. Film4's reputation for nurturing
new talent and building on its family of returning talent in the UK is well-
established, and it is now extending its vision to advanced thinking and
practice and develop more direct relationships with audiences in a fast-
changing environment.
As Commissioning Executive for Film4.0, Anna Higgs works across talent
development, production and audience engagement, commissioning
film projects that have the potential to explore spaces and relationships
between traditional media, digital platforms & the real world.

12. Using A Field in England, identify how Film 4.0
represents these values
Film 4.0
Exploring…
Exploring
Innovation
Traditional
media
The Real
World
Digital
Platforms

13. Adapting with a lack of budget-how
did they achieve this?
• Wheatley said he and cinematographer Laurie
Rose made a spontaneous decision to film in
black and white.
• Wheatley and Rose watched Culloden and other
films by Peter Watkins, as well as arthouse films
from the 1960s and 1970s, to explore the style.
• With a production budget of £300,000, filming
began in late September 2012.It took place in the
countryside in Surrey. Filming lasted for 12 days.
• Only 12 days to film, editing on site, and ‘unfussy’
filming style

14. How would you distribute a film like ‘A Field in England?’
• Problems Rook Films might face as an indie
• They may have to collaborate with other distribution companies-
because they aren’t vertically integrated with their own
distribution arm
• Issues with distribution to an international audience-indie films
often only reach localised/national audiences (film not available
in Welsh cinemas)
• How they could ensure the widest possible audience would
watch it- use online digital distribution methods instead-
streaming etc
• How they can overcome issues with traditional distribution
expenses
• Digital streaming overcomes the traditional film reel costs
For or against

15. Example exam questions
Successful media products depend as
much upon marketing and distribution to a
specific audience as they do upon good
production practices’. To what extent would
you agree with this statement, within the
media area you have studied?
Towhatextentdoesdigitaldistributionaffectthemarketingandconsumptionofmediaproductsinthemediaarea
youhavestudied?

16. Film4.0 Commissioning Executive
Anna Higgs on digital distribution
“It’s becoming harder and harder for independent
filmmakers to break through and get seen in
conventional theatrical distribution. Multi-platform
distributing allows filmmakers to access new and
wider audiences in new ways.
But it needs filmmakers willing to seize hold of an
experiment. Film 4.0 tries to help with that; it’s very
much about saying, “What’s the best distribution
strategy for this particular film.”

17. Distribution funding from the BFI
• AFIE received funding from the BFI Distribution
Fund New Models strand, "which supports
experimental release models" with £56,701, which
contributed to a P&A spend of £112,000. P&A
• 1/3 of budget was spent on distribution
(Prints and advertising, the major costs of film
distribution)
• The film’s total production budget -£316,879-low
budget reduces financial risk

18. How was it distributed?
• Film4 collaborated with distributor Picturehouse
Entertainment and with the BFI Distribution Fund.
• Drafthouse Films acquired the rights to distribute
the film in North America. It partnered with
Cinedigm in September 2013, and they released the
film on 6 February 2014 on various platforms.

19. Picturehouse
• Distributor and exhibitor
• Helped to devise simultaneous release strategy
• Shared risk with film
• Film4 also recognisable brand-23 million people
visit it so potential audience for the film is
significant

20. Reading pg 6-8 of the BFI report
• Distribution:
• Who?
• Which methods?
• Why the particular distributors were chosen?
• Benefits/disadvantages

21. Simultaneous release
• The film follows an unusual simultaneous release format. This strategy's
advantage to consumers –they may choose how and where they will watch
the movie
• Simultaneous release -an experimental new method of making films
available to consumers through several platforms on the same day, rather
than following the traditional staggered schedule route:
• First film exhibition in cinemas
• A DVD release follows.
• the film is made available through pay-per-view TV; then premium cable
networks
• Eventually the film is available to watch on broadcast /free-to-air television.
• ‘ staggered release schedules gives each distributionchannel an exclusive
"window" in which to profit from the film. Simultaneous releasing removes
these windows: the movie is released to cinemas and other channels -DVD,
internet, TV, on the same date.’
• A key financial benefit for distributors promoting independent movies that
have smaller budgets is that they need only spend on one marketing
campaign, rather than separate campaigns for each release window.

22. Simultaneous distribution
The Independent:
• ‘In 2013, Ben Wheatley’s ground-breaking A Field in England was released
simultaneously across a range of platforms (free-to-air TV, video-on-
demand, DVD, cinemas) “enabling viewers to decide how, where and when
to view the film”.
• Rather than scuppering its theatrical life, A Field in England was deemed to
have performed as well in cinemas as it would have done without the other
platforms – perhaps even slightly better.
• Since then, lovers of independent, arthouse and foreign language movies
who don’t have access to a local alternative cinema have increasingly
turned to streaming services to broaden their cinematic landscape.’
• Like it or not, simultaneous distribution is the future. We are moving
towards an environment wherein audiences will decide whether to watch a
film on the phone, their laptop, their television or projected on the big
screen in a cinema. With more films – and, hopefully, more varied films –
vying for our attention, the keyword for audiences in the 21st century is
“choice”. The future of cinema is in our hands, and will be defined by what,
how and where we watch. Let’s choose wisely!

23. .
DEALING WITH DISTRIBUTION ISSUES
• The film was one of the first to receive funding
from the BFI's New Models Distribution Fund
strand, which was recently set up to support
experimental and ambitious release models.

24. To distribute simultaneously or not?
• Ja nein

25. Results of simultaneous distribution
• Director Ben Wheatley has said he is "overwhelmed" with the reaction to his
latest film, A Field in England, the first UK film to be released simultaneously
on all formats.
• Wheatley's "psychedelic trip", set during the English Civil War has taken
£27,000 at the box office since Friday, according to Rentrak.
• The 91-minute film also premiered on DVD, TV and through video-on-
demand.
• Some 367,000 viewers have since tuned in to watch it on Film 4.
• As part of its simultaneous release the historical thriller, starring Michael
Smiley as an alchemist who forces a group of deserters to help him find
hidden treasure amid a field of magic mushrooms, was released by
Picturehouse Entertainment in 17 UK cinemas.
• Simultaneous distribution overcomes the issue of AFIE only being exhibited in
limited no of cinemas (17)
• Over the weekend, it took £21,399 in box office receipts - an average of
£1,259 per cinema, adding another £6,601 to its tally from screenings on
Monday and Tuesday.
• The film wasn’t available in Welsh cinemas- so SD was a way to ensure welsh
were able to watch it on other platforms- overcomes risk of audiences
forgetting about the film by the time it is available on DVD months later as in
a traditional release format
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-
arts-23252045

26. • It has also been Film 4's bestselling title on its On Demand service, while
2,380 copies of the film have been sold on DVD.
• Its release on several platforms on the same day was dubbed "an
interesting experiment" by distributors. – inspire other production
companies- raises awareness of Wheatley’s Rook films, and therefore film
itself
• "I think it's a very specific way of doing it," Wheatley told the BBC News
website on Wednesday. "I think you need to be financed by a channel for it
to work. Without the channel behind you in the way that Four were, it
would be hard to do.“ The film, developed in partnership with Film 4's
experimental division, Film 4.0 and the BFI, was made on a modest budget
of £300,000.
• Wheatley, whose previous films include Sightseers, Kill List and Down
Terrace, said the release model was an appropriate way to maximise
audience figures for a film made on such a small budget-’For this film, it
makes sense. I'm really happy that people in Wales [where there were no
screenings] could see it. In the grand scheme of things, they would have
had to wait to buy it on Blu Ray, but that would have been a couple of
months down the line," he said, adding at that point, "the message is

27. • Sue Bruce-Smith, Film 4's head of commercial and brand strategy said she
was "thrilled" that audiences "embraced" the film with such enthusiasm.
• "We really believe we need to challenge traditional release patterns,
particularly when it comes to independent films, to get as large an audience
as possible to the work of bold and brilliant filmmakers like Ben," she said.
• "The fantastic results across all platforms prove that there is a different way
of doing things which benefits audiences, filmmakers and industry alike."
• However there is an argument such a concentrated release might not
maintain interest in the long run - one which Wheatley disagrees with.
• "I think the exposure to the general audience in that moment is almost
worth the risk," he said.
• "Cinema is a long game. It takes a long time to seep into the consciousness
of the country. The culture is so massive and a cinema release - even if it's
quite a big one - is still a tiny, tiny proportion of those people."
• Despite the film being available to the public free of charge on Film 4, five
of the 17 cinemas it was screened in - London, Brighton and Edinburgh -
sold out, which is down to the cinema offering a "different experience" to
watching it on TV, Wheatley suggested.
• "The images are designed to be seen on a big screen," he said."To see
something where you've got something at the periphery of your vision is a
totally different experience to seeing an image that has got your front room
around most of the edge of it."

28. Repeat viewing
• Simultaneous release can be risky because of damaging
repeat viewing on DVD later on-we often buy the DVD
of a favourite film after our cinema experience and
simultaneous distribution removes this potential.
However, BFI research suggests otherwise:
• 68% of the cinema audience said they’d be interested
in a 2nd viewing, with 27% considering
BUYING/RENTING ON dvd/TV etc
• OD audience lower-only 10% interested in download/

29. • Was making it freely available on TV a sensible
strategy in terms of reaching a broad audience
range?
• How does its cinema release compare with
SW?
• How many people watched SW-how much did
it make in its opening weekend?

30. Compared to Star Wars…Star Wars now rules the box office galaxy.
• "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" became the biggest opening in movie
history over the weekend, bringing in an estimated $248 million in North
America, according to Disney
• The film flew past the opening weekend record held by Universal's "Jurassic
World," which made $208.8 million on the weekend it opened in June.
• The international totals are all the more impressive because it’s yet to open
in China, the world's 2nd biggest film market. It’ll open there on January 9.
• "The Force Awakens" now holds the box office records for biggest Thursday
night opening, biggest one day gross, biggest December debut, and biggest
opening weekend of all time.
• The Disney film opened in 4,134 theaters. It is the 7th in the "Star Wars"
saga, and the first film starring beloved characters like Harrison Ford's Han
Solo and Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia since 1983's "Return of the Jedi."
• But this may just be the beginning of the film's box office empire with movie
choices in January and February pretty depleted at the cineplex
http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/20/media/star-wars-the-force-awakens-opening-weekend-
box-office/index.html

31. http://vodzilla.co/blog/features/a-
field-in-england-the-future-or-folly/

33. Exhibition practices today
Exhibitor Example Positive Negative
Multiplex Cinema
Art House Cinema
Home Cinema
Streaming
Digital TV
Vertically integrated
media
conglomerates

34. • Friday 11th May: Head of Film4 Tessa Ross last night announced that Channel4 will be investing an
additional £1m specifically in the development of new British comedy films under the Film4
banner, with the new slate being commissioned by Shane Allen - Channel 4's Head of Comedy and
the executive producer behind The Inbetweeners hit TV series and film.
• Allen will develop features for cinema release with an initial annual development budget of £1
million, which is in addition to Film4's annual £15million invested in developing and financing
films. Overseeing the growth of The Inbetweeners from cult E4 series to box office hit, Shane has
been responsible for some of the biggest comedy hits in recent years including Facejacker, Star
Stories, Friday Night Dinner, Black Mirror & Comic Strip: The Hunt for Tony Blair.
• Shane Allen, Channel 4's Head of Comedy, says "This is a fantastic adrenaline shot for more British
film comedy following on from the overwhelming audience appetite we experienced last summer.
The recent explosion in live comedy is because it's a very communal experience, so with the huge
expertise of Film4 it's a brilliant opportunity to tap the cinematic potential of UK writing and
performing talent."
• The announcement was made at Film4's annual pre-Cannes industry party in London, where Ross
also confirmed that Walter Salles' On the Road - playing In Competition at this year's Cannes - will
have its UK premiere on 16th August at Film4 Summer Screen, the annual outdoor cinema season
at London's Somerset House.
• Tessa Ross, Channel 4's Controller of Film and Drama, says: "We're thrilled to be working with
Shane on developing comedy features - with his impeccable track record and huge wealth of
experience we know we are in for some seriously entertaining films.
• "In the meantime we're very excited for our three filmmakers who are premiering at this year's
Cannes - and I'm delighted that On the Road, our competition film in the festival this year, will
have its UK premiere on the opening night of Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset House."
• Along with On the Road, two other Film4 films will have their worldwide premieres at this year's
Cannes: Ben Wheatley's Sightseers, and Fyzal Boulifa's short film The Curse.
• http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/film4-announces-additional-development-fund-for-
british-comedy-films

35. Ben Wheatley on A Field in England
• Constructing cultural verisimilitude
• Keeping the budget low
• Micro aspects (cinematography, editing)
• His position as a director
https://film.list.co.uk/articl
e/52082-ben-wheatley-
director-of-a-field-in-
england-interview/

36. Making A Field in England
A Field in England 'Digital Masterclass'
• Address the following issues
– Evidence to support the view that the film is
representative of Film 4.0’s remit
– How the film differs from conventional
production practices, such as those seen in
Hollywood

37. Marketing the film

39. How could Wheatley have ensured this was the case?
Think back to Disney…how did they do the same for
‘The Force Awakens?’

40. Issues with marketing?
• Weltons Brewery brewed a limited edition ale to
give to the audience in the UK exhibition. The
beer had the tagline "Open Up and Let the Devil
In" to tie into the use of hallucinogens in the film
• Audience?
• Reach of marketing?
• Moral message and appeal?
• How this may affect the status of the film?
• Niche advertising method-issues?

41. Did you find…
Online campaign to drive awareness-
54% of under 35s said social media was
primary awareness source vs 35% for
older audiences
Q and A
experience at
cinema attracted
audience -51% of
Friday night.
Digital masterclass-80,000
views -34% followed links to
screenings-audience
engagement high with MC
visitors
Audience profile close to original
predictions-average age 35- 62/38 m/f
Twitter used to market film on Friday’s
opening –no 1 mention and 12,000
followers
release on BBC programmes,
including leading items on BBC
News online, Loose Ends, Front
Row and the Film Programme.
Events-drummers,
real ale, film4 free
TV screening

42. • Go onto AFIE website-how far do you agree
with the above statement?
• Issues with this marketing strategy-does it
really make us want to see this film?

43. Their website…
• .

44. Bfi insight report
• https://08morrisj.wordpress.com/2014/03/26
/distribution-case-study-a-field-in-england/
• http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/do
wnloads/bfi-insight-report-a-field-in-england-
2013_1.pdf
• http://emleslie.blogspot.co.uk/p/as.html

45. http://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/distribution-exhibition-funding/distribution-fund

46. .
• The festival’s main objective is to promote the cinematic arts,
to foster international exchange, and to help promote the
films screened there. Every year, the festival presents some
200 new films from around the world, of which around 70 are
shown as world or European premieres.
• Many of the films shown at the festival are still looking for an
international sales agent.
• The main goal of the industry section is to connect film
professionals, provide producers and directors with an
opportunity to present their films, and to provide them with a
space for meeting buyers, distributors, and representatives
from other film festivals.
• The festival is visited by nearly 850 film professionals from 60
countries throughout the world
The film won a
special jury prize at
the festival in 2013

47. Critical acclaim!
• screened at the 48th Karlovy Vary International
Film Festival in 2013-it won a special jury prize
• released in the UK on 5 July 2013 through several
simultaneous platforms.
• The Hollywood Reporter -"A Field in England will
mark the first time a homegrown title has been
released simultaneously in theatres, on DVD, free
TV and VOD

48. Plenty of positive reviews…
• But not a success in the box office.

49. http://emleslie.blogspot.co.uk/p/as.ht
ml