Vision Statement

This A level will give you a broader knowledge of film, exploring it over a range of time periods and movements including silent cinema, Hollywood, British film, American film, global films, documentary films and experimental films. Learning to read films as more than a form of entertainment will develop your skills in analysis and interpretation. In film studies students will embrace film as both an art form and a medium of communication and students will also engage with film’s broad, cultural and historical heritage.

Specification being followed: WJEC A Levels Film Studies

Year 12
Year 13

Year 12

Introduction video

Component 1/A - Hollywood 1930-1960

Students will be able to analyse and compare 2 films (currently Some Like it Hot and Do the Right Thing).
Students will be able to write about Cinematography, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene effectively.
Students will understand the notion of the auteur and will be able to write about this accordingly.

Component 1/B – American Film post 2012

Students will be able to analyse and write about 2 films (currently Carol and Boyhood).
Students will be able to write about Cinematography, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene effectively.
Students will be introduced to ideological approaches, critical theories and theories of spectatorship

Component 2/A - Global Film

Students will learn about the origins of Film and examine the differences between European and Hollywood Cinema
Students will be able to identify, analyse and evaluate use of Cinematography, Mise en Scene, Sound, Editing and Performance in Film.
Students will apply their knowledge of elements of Film to two films (Parasite and Mustang) from outside the UK or US Film Industry

Component 2/B – Documentary Film

Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the documentary genre and its place in the world of film
Students will explore the history and lineage of documentary film making
Students will examine the modes of documentary film making

Component 2/D Experimental Film

Students will be able to analyse and write about an experimental film (currently Cleo 5 to 7).
Students will be able to write about Cinematography, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene effectively.
Students will be introduced to Narrative Structures and revisit the area of auteurship

Component 3 – Production (Non-exam assessment)

Learners will produce either a short film (4-5 minutes) or a screenplay for a short film (1600-1800 words) plus a digitally photographed storyboard of a key section from the screenplay. All students will also write an evaluative analysis (1600 – 1800 words).

Year 13

Introduction video

Component 1/C - British Film since 1995

Students will be able to analyse and write about 2 films (currently Trainspotting and This is England).
Students will be able to write about Cinematography, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene effectively.
Students will understand the relevance of ideologies and be able to discuss these in their responses.

Component 2/C – Silent Film

Students will be able to analyse and write about a silent film (currently Sunrise).
Students will be able to write about Cinematography, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene effectively.
Students will be introduced to critical debates, in particular the realist and the expressive.