MEST1 Section B: A Field In England

• How was A Field In England’s release different to typical film releases

A Field in England was the first film in the UK to launch simultaneously across all platforms; VOD, free broadcast TV, DVD/Blu Ray and cinema. This is a great risk when it comes to making profit but further emphasizes the fact that the film is an art house film as their aim is not to generate revenue but to make their audience carefully consider the themes in the film and to convey the film maker's artistry or ideologies.

• What are the advantages to releasing the film across all platforms on the same day?

An advantage of releasing the film across all platforms on the same day is that it makes the day similar to an important event and it has a bigger impact on the audience. Although the film would have a shorter promotion period, the promotion is on a much larger scale due to the film being released on all platforms on the same day.

• What are the disadvantages to this approach?

The disadvantages of releasing a film on all platforms on the same day is that the promotion period would be shorter and unlike films that are released on different platforms on different days, after the release of the film, there would be no reason to mention the film again. 

• What target audience would A Field In England be aimed at? Demographics and Psychographics.

A field in England would be primarily aimed at a more mature audience who would have a better understanding of the film, along with students who would be interested in analysing the film. Therefore, the demographics would range from 16 - 50. The psychographics of the film would be mostly explorers and reformers as these groups would have a great interest in non mainstream media and try to apply the messages the film conveys to everyday life.

• Do you think all films in future will be released across all platforms simultaneously in future?

In my opinion, I don't think all films in the future will be released across all platforms simultaneously as the majority of films are created in order to earn a huge profit but releasing films on different platforms simultaneously will hinder the maximum profit that can be made as the hype over the film will die down after a short while. Also, due to the film being released on the same day on different platforms, people will be more likely to watch the film at home as it is more convenient and considerably cheaper, resulting in a loss of revenue. With the film being released across different platforms at different times, the popularity of the film will be dragged along a long period of time which will maximise profit for the film.