A Field In England
100 WORDS SUMMARY
A distributor’s campaign strategy is therefore complex and costly work, involving thorough research and creativity. It is a campaign that will not stop once the film has launched, because early box office figures (the all important opening weekend) will further determine the strategic direction of a film’s release. The industry’s costly model for distribution is, therefore, unsurprisingly dominated by Hollywood. The top 6 distributors are also the major studios (Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros.
A Field in England’s release was different to typical film releases as they had released the film in Cinema’s, on DVD’s, on TV, and on VoD, all simultaneously. This differs from traditional methods as distribution institutions normally release their films in the cinema’s first, and then on DVD’s and on TV several months (6 months) later
What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?
The advantages of releasing the film on all the platforms on the same day were that it was able to reach all of their target audience. It also generated a huge hype on social media such as twitter as it was trending. Another advantage is that a small budget arthouse film such as this does not generate a wide interest; therefore the fans may lose interest, or forget about the film over time, so by allowing immediate DVD release, it is available instantly and their fans do not have to wait a long time. When you release the film on all platforms at the same time, you only need one marketing campaign, rather than separate ones at different times; this is cost effective and allows for a bigger budget to advertise their film to a wider audience.
The advantages of releasing the film on all the platforms on the same day were that it was able to reach all of their target audience. It also generated a huge hype on social media such as twitter as it was trending. Another advantage is that a small budget arthouse film such as this does not generate a wide interest; therefore the fans may lose interest, or forget about the film over time, so by allowing immediate DVD release, it is available instantly and their fans do not have to wait a long time. When you release the film on all platforms at the same time, you only need one marketing campaign, rather than separate ones at different times; this is cost effective and allows for a bigger budget to advertise their film to a wider audience.
What are the disadvantages to this approach?
There are also some disadvantages to this method as one platform may generate far more interest than the other platforms, causing a downfall in the other platform. Also, by releasing it on TV, people now have the ability to record what they want, which in turn allows the audience to gain a free access to the film rather than purchasing it and contributing to the film institution. There is a huge risk factor when attempting something different such as their distribution technique; this is because it has never been done in the UK before and by trying something new, it may repel their audience and other film distributors, rather than attract them.
There are also some disadvantages to this method as one platform may generate far more interest than the other platforms, causing a downfall in the other platform. Also, by releasing it on TV, people now have the ability to record what they want, which in turn allows the audience to gain a free access to the film rather than purchasing it and contributing to the film institution. There is a huge risk factor when attempting something different such as their distribution technique; this is because it has never been done in the UK before and by trying something new, it may repel their audience and other film distributors, rather than attract them.
What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psycho-graphics.
The target audience for this film would be explorers as this is an art house film, which is a type of films that is known for having a meaning/that make you think, so this would have a niche audience are known to try new things that the mainstreamer wouldn't. The demographics for this group would be A/B this would be higher/middle classes who are able to understand and comprehend the messages of films rather than just for enjoyment.
Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?
In the future I do not think that all films will be released on all platforms simultaneously as big blockbuster films would prefer to show their films in the cinemas first, and then release them to the public as this would help them gain vast amounts of money and profit; also people would wait for DVD releases if the film is a large famous film, however, small low budget films may release their films on all platforms simultaneously as it has many advantages for them.
In the future I do not think that all films will be released on all platforms simultaneously as big blockbuster films would prefer to show their films in the cinemas first, and then release them to the public as this would help them gain vast amounts of money and profit; also people would wait for DVD releases if the film is a large famous film, however, small low budget films may release their films on all platforms simultaneously as it has many advantages for them.
