A Field in England is a 2013 British black-and-white film directed by Ben Wheatley and produced by Film 4.0. It had a very small budget of £300,000 which was funded through Film 4.0, Rook Films, and the BFI. The film was shot in only 12 days with a small cast. It featured an unconventional narrative, setting, themes, and genre. Significantly, it was released simultaneously in cinemas, DVD/Blu-ray, download, VOD, and the Film 4 channel, representing Film 4.0's modern approach to film distribution and exhibition.

1. A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, UK,
2013)
FM2 British and American Film (Section A)

2. Learning outcomes
To have identified the relevance of A Field in
England as an example of modern distribution
and exhibition practices

3. Budget: £300, 000
Funding: Film Four (Film 4.0), Rook Films, BFI
(British Film Institute)
Released simultaneously through cinemas, DVD/Bluray, 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

4. Screening
Consider
Your own response
Discuss the ending
Critical responses
What worked well? What did you not like?
Comment on genre

5. Learning outcomes
To have identified the purpose of Film 4.0

6. Starter – 5 Facts
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
advance 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 the
spaces and relationships between traditional media, digital

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

8. Read the two articles from
BBC and The Independent
Why is this release so different?
What does it challenge?
Who benefits?
What are the advantages / disadvantages?

9. Learning outcomes:
To have explored the significance of A Field in
England as a Film 4.0 project

10. Ben Wheatley on A Field in
England
Constructing cultural verisimilitude
Keeping the budget low
Micro aspects (cinematography, editing)
His position as a director

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

12. 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

13. • Use Padlet to create a wall on the release of A
Field in England
• Use information from the ‘masterclass’ website
• Use a combination of text and image
• Avoid dumping large amounts of text.
Instead, focus on details and edit/rewrite text
accordingly
• You may use information from the articles from
BBC News and The Independent to add detail /
statistical evidence
• Keep it neat! You will be printing this off as a PDF
file!

14. Plenary
Film 4.0 – is it all worth it?