Film Studies

Subject Leader: Dr T Dedman 
 

Film Studies is taught at GCSE and A level. Both courses follow current Eduqas specifications.

The subject explores a range of different films, from silent cinema and documentary, through to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters. Students are encouraged to develop their creative skills as well as their analytical ability, as each course includes a practical filmmaking element as part of the formal assessment. In order to create film products, students have access to Adobe Premiere Pro in the classroom.

The Film Studies programmes of study and schemes of work are designed to enable students to: 

  • develop their appreciation and critical understanding of film as an aesthetic art form, an entertainment industry, and as a medium for imparting ideological perspectives

  • develop their practical and creative skills through opportunities for filmmaking and screenplay writing

  • understand how to use theoretical frameworks to analyse films in their various contexts

Key Stage 4

Students work on a number of tasks, some for examination and some for coursework purposes. The specification is split into sections on American Film and Global Film, encouraging students to engage with texts from around the world in order to explore social, political, and historical contexts. Films such as 'Juno' and 'District 9' are currently taught. The GCSE course expects students to develop an understanding of how technological changes have impacted upon the film industry as an entertainment platform and there is the Non Examined Assessment requirement to fulfil, wherein all students individually create a short film extract or a screenplay.
 

Key Stage 5

Students look at a range of different film types, ranging from silent cinema, experimental films, to independent films from the early 2000s. Films such as “Vertigo”, “Get Out” and “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” are currently studied as part of the course. Students develop their analytical skills, exploring how audiences are positioned, shaped and manipulated through construction devices such as the use of cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene. Students also create their individual Non Examined Assessment pieces as part of their A level studies. These are either a short film or a screenplay and accompanying digitally photographed storyboard. 

Enrichment

There are a number of opportunities for students to develop their film practice outside of the classroom setting. Creating promotional videos for local primary schools is a work experience option in Year 12, as well as involvement in the QE Film Crew which films and edits a range of school events throughout the academic year. We also encourage students to enter work into a number of national competitions, including the IntoFilm Awards and the Eduqas Moving Image Awards. Over recent years, the school has been very well represented by student engagement in work with the British Film Institute, in association with Screen South, where participants have worked on a funded independent film project.