The Appeal of Arthouse Cinema

Media Magazine: the appeal of arthouse cinema

1) Read Beyond Hollywood: Reading Arthouse Cinema. This is in MM45 on page 24 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. Sum up the article in one sentence.
- The appeals of arthouse cinema and why its not mor popular.

2) What are some of the suggested audience pleasures for arthouse film?
- Readability of the film
- Lack of narrative closure
- Intertextual understanding

3) Why do some audiences struggle with arthouse film? Refer to some media theory here (there are some important media theories discussed in the article itself).
- The readability of arthouse films are why it is a struggle for some people, mainly due to the fact that arthouse films are made more for artistic purposes. Hence why a (niche) selective audience who can recognise the certain themes that are presented in the film are able to identify and understand.

4) To what extent is arthouse film only for the middle classes and older audiences? Why might this be the case?
- To an average extent. This may be the case because of the idea of cultural capital due to having cultural competence. Those with cultural competence in society and appreciation for highbrow art are seen as superior.

5) What type of audience would A Field In England appeal to?
- The type of audience that A Field In England would appeal to would be middle to upper class, mainly male focused around the age of 35+ and have a stable job. Adults that are interested in arthouse films




A Field In England: BFI report on the release strategy and commercial success

1) Read this BFI Insight report into the release and reception of the film. What was the purpose of the report? 
- This report addresses the key questions about the significance of the release of the film.

2) What was the budget for A Field In England?
- The budget of the film was £316,879

3) What were the key numbers in terms of cinema box office takings, TV viewers, VOD and DVD sales? 
- £21,399 theatrical revenues from 17 venues in the opening weekend
- Average 367,000 viewers during film4 free screening.
- 918,000 viewers total television audience, 1.8% of the audience.

4) What was the primary target audience for A Field In England? Does this surprise you? How does it contrast with your answer to question 5 in the tasks above?
- The primary target audience for A Field In England was ABC1 !8-"5 years old, frequent cinemagoers in the 25-35+ bracket who may have already been aware of Wheatleys work. This doesn't surprise me as it is fairly close to what I had answered in question 5. I expected it to be an audience that was part of the older generation what I didn't expect was the 18-25 years old age group that would be interested in watching this film.

5) What did the report conclude with regards to social media and the marketing campaign? How does this link to our Ill Manors case study?
- The report concluded that twitter played an active role in the marketing of this movie as Wheatley retweeted audience reviews and comments towards the film. It also said that the marketing campaign for this film was unique and would spark questions about the quality of the film

6) Finally, what was the BFI's conclusion with regards to the unusual release strategy for A Field In England? Was it a success? What evidence is provided to argue this point?
- In conclusion the film's release strategy was a success as Picturehouse believed it more or less reached the box office number that they were forecasting.