Film Studies A-level

Film is one of the most significant cultural developments of the 20th Century. As well as giving us entertainment, film offers insights into society, explores human emotions and interactions through fascinating characters, offers diverse representations of cultures and provides an opportunity to explore a range of emotional responses in us as a viewer.

Film Studies is an academic approach to the study and analysis of film. It is a fascinating subject covering a wide range of film types; from Hollywood to Independent films; Hollywood to Non-English language films - this course has it all.

The diverse study of films will give you the knowledge and understanding to be able to produce your own film work, either through film making or screenwriting in the coursework component

Topics studied in the syllabus include:

We will look at a range of different films; 11 in total. The exam sections are titled:

• Hollywood 1930 - 1990 (comparative study of films from two time periods)
• American film since 2005 (two-film study of a mainstream film compared to an independent film)
• British film since 1995 (two film study)
• Global film (two film study)
• Documentary film (one film)
• Silent cinema (one film)
• Experimental Film (1960-2000

The course might be of interest to:

• The course is an academic course, and requires a good level of written communication. It is only suitable for pupils with a grade 5 or above in English.
• It will work really well alongside other subjects like English, sociology, or psychology.
• It used many of the same skills GCSE Media students will have gained, and so is an excellent progression for those. You do not need to have studied media previously to take this course however.
• It will be a new subject for many pupils, but don’t let that put you off. All you need is an interest in film and good written communication skills.

Potential future pathways:

The study of film provides an excellent basis to progress onto any humanities or media-based courses at University, developing your skills in critical thinking, analysis, written communication and application of theory.

The creative media industry is one of the largest growing sectors for employment, and this course would be ideally suited to those interested in careers in that sector as well as jobs in film or TV production.

We have had dozens of film and media student go on to university to study media and film-based courses.

Some of our ex media and film studies students from this school have gone on to have jobs as:

• Freelance videographer
• Journalist
• Broadcast journalist
• Film reviewer
• Publisher
• Sponsorship Manager for UEFA
• Script editor
• Social media executive
• Camera person