Film Studies

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Film studies is offered as a GCSE option at Bingley Grammar School. Those who choose to study it characteristically bring with them a huge enthusiasm and excitement for film which constantly motivates them in their studies.

They experience a powerful medium which inspires a range of responses from the emotional to the reflective as they are drawn into characters, their narratives and the issues films raise. It is not surprising that many consider film to be the major art form of the last century and that many feel it important to study a medium which has such a significant influence on the way people think and feel.

Curriculum Overview

This WJEC Eduqas specification will enable learners to explore films in a coherent way, cumulatively developing their knowledge and understanding of:

How films are constructed – through cinematography (camerawork and lighting), mise-en-scène (how sets, locations, props and costume are used in film), editing and sound
How films are organised into structures – genre (the different kinds of film) and narrative (how films tell their stories)
How films can be used – artistically (the aesthetic qualities of film) and as a way of communicating ideas and issues (representation)
How learners make sense of film through exploring a film's relevant contexts (social, cultural, historical, political and institutional), through an awareness of key aspects of the history of film and through specialist writing on film.

Assessment

There are 3 assessment objectives that are covered through three components – leading to two examinations and the completion of one piece of coursework (controlled assessment). The three assessment objectives that will be covered are:

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of elements of film
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of elements of film, including to:
- analyse and compare films
- analyse and evaluate own work in relation to other professionally produced work
AO3: Apply knowledge and understanding of elements of film to the production of film or screenplay.

Component 1: Key Developments in US Film: Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes - 35% of qualification (70 marks)

This component assesses knowledge and understanding of three US films.

Assessment consists of four questions on one pair of US mainstream films and one US independent film. Over the three years we will study:

Section A: US film comparative study:

US film comparative study: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Section B:

Key developments in film and film technology

Section C:

Specialist Writing on Film: on The Hurt Locker (2008)

Component 2: Global Film: Narrative, Representation and Film Style: Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes - 35% of qualification (70 marks)

This component assesses knowledge and understanding of three global films produced outside the US. Over the three years we will study:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Skyfall (2012)
Girlhood (2014)

Assessment consists of three questions in three sections:

Section A: one stepped question on one global English language film
Section B: one stepped question on one global non-English language film
Section C: one stepped question on one contemporary UK film.

Component 3: Production: Non-exam assessment (controlled assessment) - 30% of qualification (60 marks)

This component assesses the ability to apply knowledge and understanding of film to a production and its accompanying evaluative analysis. Learners produce:

Pre-production material relevant to a conceived film idea
One genre-based film extract (either from a film or from a screenplay) resulting from the pre-production
One evaluative analysis of the production, where learners analyse and evaluate their production in relation to comparable, professionally-produced films or screenplays.

Exam Board and Qualification: Eduqas – GCSE (9-1) Film Studies