This is England and Hot Fuzz are both successful British films which target different audiences through their packaging, marketing, distribution and exhibition.
Hot Fuzz is an action comedy directed by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. Edgar Wright and Pegg directed ‘Shaun of the Dead’, a comedy spoof, starring Simon Pegg as the main character. Pegg is also the star of Hot Fuzz; therefore audiences were attracted to Hot Fuzz based on ‘Shaun of the Dead’s success and Simon Pegg’s acting. Wright used other well known actors such as Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Bill Bailey, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton and Paddy Considine. Shane Meadows, however, (This is England’s director) is not as recognised, and has only produced about ten films in total. Meadows uses actors like Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley and Perry Benson, who have not been heard of before, to introduce fresh faces to the screen.
Instead of using the actors and producers names to attract an audience, This is England uses a location, music and genre relevant to those familiar with England in the early eighties. They filmed in Northern Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, creating the generic Northern background, using abandoned RAF bases and old villages to show the working class setting and youth cultures of the time. The music used in This is England also reflects the British eighties impression that the film has, songs like ‘Tainted Love’, ‘Come on Eileen’ and artists including U.K Subs and Wayne Shrapnel. Hot Fuzz however uses artists like The Kinks, The Fratellis and music from Bad Boys II, attracting a younger audience or fans of Bad Boys; it uses 80’s bands to draw an older generation, making the music overall very versatile to attract a wider audience.
Shane Meadows is also greatly influenced by ‘Kitchen Sink’ realism; This is England presents British life as it really was. This honesty may attract a larger and mainly British audience, the film is packed with history and meaning. Although Hot Fuzz is packaged as a comedy, it also attracted other audiences. Its humour is aimed at the British, mocking the accent and lifestyle of people from Somerset.
Hot Fuzz is produced by British production companies like Working Title and Big Talk Productions, yet also has input from the large USA company- Universal Pictures. This company can be related to films such as ‘King Kong’, ‘Atonement’ and the ‘Bourne’ films, therefore showing it is a high quality and Hot Fuzz will be of good quality. This is England is produced completely by British film companies, Warp Films, Film4 and Big Arty Productions. The film could attract Warp fans, as they will expect the film to be of the same quality as ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ and ‘My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117’.
The Hot Fuzz team used a variety of marketing techniques, including the internet, TV advertising, posters and teaser trailers. The trailers reflect those of other crime/cop films like Bad Boys and Miami Vice. They are kept short but ensure to show the comic moments in the film. It is emphasised that Hot Fuzz is brought by the same team as Shaun of the Dead, to attract a similar audience. Trailers were shown in cinemas before films of the crime genre, some were posted on youtube and some were shown on television shortly before the film was released. The adverts also emphasise the actors as one of the focus points of the film.
The posters that Hot Fuzz released, on billboards and around cities and cinemas, each had reference to similar police movies- Miami Vice, Magnum Force, Bad Boys I and II. The positions, poses are replicated in each poster, as well as the lighting and colouring. The title block is nearly perfectly positioned in every one, also a rough take with the two lines, one above and one below, from Bad Boys.
Along with Working Title, Hot Fuzz toured to promote the film, travelling to Wellington, New York, Amsterdam and Stockholm. Here they partook in photo shoots, Q+A sessions and interviews. They also went to the MCM Expo convention in London, where they gave away free merchandise and also talked about the trailers, mingling with fans and promoting the film.
Hot Fuzz created a website where fans or potential viewers could play games, listen to music and find out about the production companies.
Conversely, This is England did not use such mainstream marketing techniques. Instead they kept to the media of television. There was no advertisement in cinemas, because the film was not released on cinemas, it was shown on Film4 and therefore was only allowed to show trailers on Film4 and Channel 4. The trailers illustrated the history behind the film, focusing on the director, storyline and awards won. It was also premiered at various film festivals, where it picked up some awards. The premiere on Film4 attracted an audience of over one million viewers. This is England, also had a website where fans or those interested could look up actors, music and the background to the film, much more subtle and informative compared to the Hot Fuzz website.
Hot Fuzz had a total of eleven distribution companies including Universal Pictures, Rogue Pictures, Studio Canal and Motion Picture Distribution.This is England did not show much difference with seven distribution companies however they were much smaller companies, and not as high quality as Universal. Unlike many other films, This is England was premiered on Film4 rather than in the cinema, this could be because it is more of an arthouse film and is aimed at a smaller target audience. Hot Fuzz however was shown in cinemas worldwide where it was a huge success.
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