Students who choose to study Film Studies at Key Stage 5 follow the Eduqas Film Studies A level course.

Students who choose Film Studies at A level will have opportunities for offsite visits to Film Industry institutions as well as talks from industry practitioners. We have well-equipped facilities which enable high quality production in coursework units plus skilled teaching staff with a wealth of experience of teaching Film Studies.

Course Content:

The Film Studies course covers a wide range of film types, film movements and film production from a range of nations:

• A comparison of Hollywood film from the ‘Classic’ 1930 - 1960 era with one made between 1960 -1990
• The study of two American Films, one major studio mainstream production and one independent production
• A study of two British films produced after 1995
• A global filmmaking comparison of two films, one European and one produced outside Europe
• The close study of one documentary film, one silent film and one experimental film (1960 – 2000)

Assessment:

The course is assessed by two written examinations and a non-examined student production.

• Examination:
  • A 2 hour 30 minute written exam worth 35% of the final grade, in which students must answer one question from each of the three sections - Section A: Hollywood 1930-1990 (comparative study), Section B: American film since 2005 (two-film study) and Section C: British film since 1995 (two-film study)
  • A 2 hour 30 minute written exam worth 35% of the final grade, in which students must answer one question from each of the four sections - Section A: Global film (two-film study), Section B: Documentary film, Section C: Film movements – Silent cinema and Section D: Film movements – Experimental film (1960-2000)
• Student Production
  • Students create their own product from a choice of short film (4-5 minutes), a screenplay or a digitally photographed storyboard worth 30% of the final grade. Key areas of study across the course to be reflected in the production are:
    • The construction of Film (Film Language and Grammar, Cinematography, Lighting, Editing, Sound, Narrative structure, Generic conventions)
    • Contextual issues - the production context, (finance, the organisation of the Film industry in that country, the process of making, distributing marketing and exhibiting film products)

Film Studies is an essay based subject that shows students have excellent analytical skills. This is recognised by all universities. The range of courses on offer at Universities/Film schools range from the entirely academic or critical perspective to the wholly practical through to those that balance both of these approaches. As the A level comprises both these elements it allows the student to experience and plan what type of course would be best suited to their undergraduate study. The study of commercial aspects as well as practical coursework elements are also beneficial for students aiming to work directly in the industry.

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