Film Studies AS/A2

The course will be of value to those who wish to engage closely with film interpretation, the British and American film industry and film theory. In the first year, students will acquire a range of analytical skills  by studying British and American film, developing an understanding of film language as well as being provided with the opportunity to create a storyboard sequence.

The second year focuses on exploring world cinema texts and critical frameworks as well as offering a practical opportunity for a small scale research project and the production of a screenplay or complete short film.

Course Overview

AS Level
Unit 1 Exploring Film Form; Coursework (40%)

• One analysis of the micro elements of a chosen extract from a film
• One creative project – either a storyboard sequence or short film

Unit 2 British and American Film; (60%)

2 hour 30 min written paper

• Section A: Producers and Audiences of film
• Section B: Topics in British Film – The British Horror Genre
• Section C: US Film – Comparative study of 2 films e.g. The Searchers & Unforgiven

A Level

Unit 3 Film Research and Creative Projects; Coursework (50%)

• Small Scale Research Project with an investigation into a specific context like genre, director or performer e.g. Film Noir, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino
• The Creative Project which may be either a complete short film or an extended screenplay.

Unit 4 Varieties of Film Experience: Issues & Debates; (50%) 2 hour 45 min written paper

• Section A: World Cinema topics; National Cinema, International Film Styles
• Section B: Spectatorship topics; Early Cinema, Documentary, Popular Film
• Section C: Single Film - Critical Study e.g. Fight Club, Vertigo, Talk To Her