A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, UK, 2013)

FM2 British and American Film (Section A)

Learning outcomesTo have identified the relevance of A Field in England as an example of modern distribution and exhibition practices

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

ScreeningConsider

Your own responseDiscuss the endingCritical responsesWhat worked well? What did you not like?Comment on genre

Learning outcomesTo have identified the purpose of Film 4.0

Starter – 5 FactsFilm4.0 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 platforms and the real world.

Exhibition practices todayExhibitor Example Positive Negative

Multiplex Cinema

Art House Cinema

Home Cinema

Streaming

Digital TV

Vertically integrated media conglomerates

Read the two articles from BBC and The

IndependentWhy is this release so different?

What does it challenge?

Who benefits?

What are the advantages / disadvantages?

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

Ben Wheatley on A Field in England

Constructing cultural verisimilitudeKeeping the budget lowMicro aspects (cinematography, editing)His position as a director

Using A Field in England, identify how Film 4.0 represents these values

Film 4.0Exploring

…

Exploring

Innovation

Traditional media

The Real World

Digital Platform

s

Making A Field in EnglandA Field in England 'Digital Masterclass'

Address the following issuesEvidence to support the view that the film is representative of Film 4.0’s remitHow the film differs from conventional production practices, such as those seen in Hollywood

• 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!

PlenaryFilm 4.0 – is it all worth it?