The way in which A Field in Englands
release was different in comparison to typical film releases is because, when
it was released, it was released on all different platforms breaking the
Hollywood model of distribution as they launched it on VOD (40D and itunes),
free broadcast TV (Film 4), DVD, BluRay and Cinema (17 Picturehouse Venues).
How was A Field in Englands release different to typical film releases?
One of the biggest advantages of
releasing the film across all platforms on the same day, is that everyone is
able to watch it, whether at home, whether in the picture house venues, or in
the cinema. This helps in order to meet the needs of different customers and
the different audiences as everyone is able to access different places
according to who they are and what they like. For example those with low income
would most likely watch in on the TV and those that have more money coming in
and time to spare would be happy spending money to go out and watch it. Another
advantage of launching it across all platforms on the same day is that it means
that the marketing is all done at once, and there is no need to think about
doing any marketing later on, saving a lot of time.
What are the disadvantages for this approach?
One of the disadvantages of using the
method of launching the film on all different platforms, is the fact that there
is a lot of money put towards it, all at once. If something goes wrong, as they
have rushed into it, it will give them less time to make changes, if need be. Additionally, this would also mean that not much profit would be left over, even though it is not the aim of an art house film, and it would decrease the sales of other platforms such as DVD, Blu-Ray, and etc.