Sixth Form - Subjects - Film Studies
AS and A Level Film Studies WJEC
The Film Studies course is designed to deepen students’ understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of film, the major art form of the twentieth century. They will study film deriving from a variety of production contexts and experienced in a variety of viewing situations. They will also engage with a wide range of different kinds of film, developing skills of observation, critical analysis and personal reflection, as well as developing their creativity and practical skills, either in audio-visual or written form.
The AS course enables students to gain knowledge of how a film works formally and stylistically to communicate meaning. They study a range of popular genre films, analysing the codes and conventions used by British and American filmmakers. Film Studies combines creative work with an exploration of a broad range of film - from the Hollywood mainstream to World Cinema. Students are given the opportunity to choose from several creative options which include filmmaking and scriptwriting.
A2 students will learn to locate films in their economic, social and cultural contexts, and to understand how films convey messages about the culture and society in which we live. They will look at issues and debates arising from topics such as global experience, spectatorship and the commercial cinema industry. The practical element includes a creative project based on filmmaking, scriptwriting or documentary film. Students also carry out independent research and develop skills suitable for progression to Higher Education.
Course Details
AS
Unit 1 Exploring Film Form.
Coursework and practical.
Students use close analysis skills to explore how films create meaning through the use of codes and conventions. Practical short film creative project.
Unit 2 British and American Film
Written paper.
Understanding the producers and audiences of mainstream cinema. Topics in British Film. Comparative study of two US films.
A2
Unit 3 Film Research and Creative Projects
Coursework and practical.
Small scale research project. Practical creative project.
Unit 4 Varieties of Film Experience: Issues and Debates
Written paper.
Topics include; World Cinema. Spectatorship, Single film critical study.