A2 Film Studies Course Handbook 2014-15

1. FILM STUDIES A2
COURSE HANDBOOK 2014-2015

2. WELCOME
TO
A2
FILM
STUDIES
Teacher:
Barrington
Robinson
Barrington.Robinson@coulsdon.ac.uk
A2
Film
Studies
Office:
Room
203
Classroom:
200
2
Course
Blog:
http://coulsdoncollegealevelfilmandmedia.blogspot.co.uk/
SUMMARY
OF
ASSESMENT
FM3
-­‐
FILM
RESEARCH
AND
CREATIVE
PROJECTS
(Coursework
50%)
Completing
a
small-­‐scale
research
project
designed
to
develop
research
skills
within
the
framework
of
one
or
more
critical
approaches
used
in
Film
Studies
Developing
creative
skills
and
a
deepened
understanding
of
the
medium
chosen
for
the
creative
project:
Screenplay,
Documentary
step
outline
or
Short
film.
FM4
VARIETIES
OF
FILM
EXPERIENCE
–
ISSUES
AND
DEBATES
(Exam
50%)
Section
A:
World
Cinema
-­‐
Specialist
Study
1:Urban
Stories
–
Power,
Poverty
and
Conflict
LA
HAINE,
CITY
OF
GOD,
AMORES
PERROS,
INTOUCHABLES
Section
B:
Spectatorship
Topics
–
Spectatorship
and
Documentary
BOWLING
FOR
COLUMBINE,
STANDARD
OPERATING
PROCEDURE,
COMPLETE
HISTORY
OF
MY
SEXUAL
FAILURES
Section
C:
Single
Film
-­‐
Critical
Study
FIGHT
CLUB

3. YEAR
SCHEDULE
Week
Date
Topic
Assessed
Work
Deadline
1
8/9/14
Intro
to
A2
Film/Small
scale
3
research
project
Extract
research
2
15/9/14
Analysing
and
incorporating
extracts/Structuring
research
proposal
3
22/9/14
Creative
Project
Preproduction
–
analysis
of
short
films
and
sequences
Short
film
research
Soft
vs
Wasp
Compare
and
Contrast
4
29/9/14
Creative
Project
Preproduction
–
analysis
of
short
films
and
sequences
You
Owe
Me
One
–
analysis
Short
film
research
5
6/10/14
Specialist
Study
1:
Urban
Stories
–
Power
Poverty
and
Conflict
Outline
of
unit
Screening:
Headhunters
Small
scale
research
proposals
to
WJEC
Genre
Auteur
research
Director
research
Research
proposal
due
Mon
13th
Oct
8/10/14
BFI
London
Film
Festival
2014
STARTS
6
13/10/14
Screening:
LA
HAINE
Detailed
analysis
BFI
Film
Festival
Screening
CASA
GRANDE
14/10/14
Screening
TESTAMENT
OF
YOUTH
16/10/14
World
Cinema
essay
18/10/14
BFI
London
Film
Festival
2014
ENDS
7
20/10/14
Small
scale
research
(1-­‐to-­‐1
research
assessments)
HALF
TERM
8
3/11/14
Creative
Project:
Aims
and
Context
World
Cinema
recap
BFI
Library
visit
6
November
am
Aims
and
Context
Compare
and
contrast
essay
City
of
God
v
La
Haine
Mon
10th
Dec
Mon
3rd
Nov
9
10/11/14
Creative
Project:
Planning
Preproduction
–
Writing
Screenplays
Storyboards
Thur
20th
Nov

4. screenplays
and
action
plans
4
Practice
shoots
1-­‐to-­‐1s
10
17/11/14
Spectatorship
and
Documentary
Screening:
Standard
Operating
Procedure
Objectivity
and
bias
Annotated
Catalogue
draft
Wed
19th
Nov
11
24/11/14
Procedure
analysis
Screening:
Bowling
for
Columbine
Michael
Moore
research
12
1/12/14
Performative
documentaries
Screening:
The
History
of
My
Sexual
Failures
Presentation
script
Performative
documentaries
research
Annotated
Catalogue
Final
Presentation
script
draft
Mon
12th
Dec
Thur
15th
Dec
13
8/12/14
Analysis
of
contrasting
documentary
styles
and
audiences
Essay:
Documentary
and
Spectatorship
14
15/12/14
Creative
Project:
Preproduction
–
creating
and
developing
ideas
Presentation
script
evaluation
CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAY
15
5/1/15
Creative
Project:
Preproduction
–
creating
and
developing
ideas
Presentation
Script
Screenplays
Storyboards
Risk
assessment
Production
schedule
Presentation
Script
final
Wed
7th
Jan
Wed
21st
Jan
16
12/1/15
Creative
Project:
Production
–
Shooting
at
College
and
on
location
Shooting
17
19/1/15
Creative
Project:
Overview
of
editing
work
Editing
Editing
18
26/1/15
Creative
Project:
Overview
of
editing
work
Editing
Editing

5. 5
19
2/2/15
Creative
Project:
Hand
in.
Reflective
Analysis
Completed
Project
Draft
Analysis
Thur
5th
Feb
Thur
12th
Feb
20
9/2/15
Single
Film
Critical
Study
Screening:
Fight
Club
Production
history
and
cultural
context
Revision
Topics
Research:
Fight
Club
9/2/15-­‐
13/2/15
MOCK
EXAMS
HALF
TERM
21
23/2/15
Textual
analysis:
Fight
Club
Reflective
Analysis
Non-­‐traditional
Narrative
research
Final
Mon
2nd
Mar
22
2/3/15
Star
image:
Fight
Club
Screening:
Se7en
Essay:
Fight
Club
production/star
23
9/3/15
Auteur:
Motifs
and
Function
David
Fincher
as
auteur:
stylistic
features
Fincher
research
24
16/3/15
Representation
of
modern
urban
and
corporate
life
Managing
spectator’s
identification
and
sympathies
Essay:
Flight
Club
Fincher/auteur
25
23/3/15
Representation
of
women:
Maria
and
misogyny
Masculinity
and
its
threats
Research:
Feminist
film
theory
SPRING
HOLIDAY
26
13/4/15
Critical
and
popular
responses
Ideology:
Progressive
or
reactionary?
Essay:
Fight
Club
representation
27
20/4/15
Revision:
Urban
Stories
–
Power
Poverty
and
Conflict
Essay:
Urban
Stories
28
27/4/15
Revision:
Spectatorship
and
Documentary
Full
mock
exam
29
4/5/15
Revision:
Single
Film
Critical
Study
Teaching
Ends
Essay:
Spectatorship
and
Documentary
30
11/5/15
Revision
31
18/5/15
Revision
HALF
TERM
32
1/6/15
Revision
33
8/6/15
A2
Film
Exam
–
12th
June
34
15/6/15
35
22/6/15
36
29/6/15
ACTIVITIES
WEEK

6. Use
of
Coulsdon
College
A2
Film
Studies
Blog
A
core
part
of
your
learning,
and
assessment
of
your
progress,
will
be
done
through
the
Coulsdon
Sixth
Form
College
A2
Film
Studies
Blog.
This
blog
will
be
a
resource
for
you
to
use
in
and
out
of
class
to
develop
your
learning.
You
will
also
create
your
own
dedicated
A2
Film
Studies
level
blog
that
you
will
use
to
post
analyses
and
reflections
on
your
learning.
Your
teacher
will
give
you
more
detail
on
how
this
will
all
work
at
the
beginning
of
the
course.
Watching
Film
Texts
Outside
of
Class
You
will
be
studying
a
variety
of
film
texts
in
class
this
year.
Although
you
will
of
course
have
opportunity
to
watch
these
texts
in
class,
you
should
be
using
your
initiative
and
taking
guidance
from
your
teacher,
and
be
watching
other
films
that
may
improve
your
understanding
of
the
core
issues.
Homework
You
will
be
set
other
homework
regularly.
This
homework
will
be
related
to
classroom
content.
It
is
not
optional,
and
is
a
core
aspect
of
your
successful
learning.
You
should
aim
to
spend
approximately
four
hours
per
week
on
homework
for
Film
Studies.
Assessed
Work
Throughout
the
course
you
will
be
submitting
different
types
of
assessed
work.
Assessed
work
is
work
for
which
your
teacher
will
give
you
written
feedback
and/or
a
grade.
These
types
of
assessments
will
include
mock
exam
unit
questions
taken
in
class,
homework
blog
posts,
coursework
drafts,
coursework
final
versions,
and
weekly
summary
assessments
by
your
teacher
posted
on
your
blog.
Deadlines
for
assessed
work
are
non-­‐negotiable,
and
failure
to
meet
ANY
deadline
can
result
in
disciplinary
measures.
Persistent
failure
to
submit
assessed
work
can
also
lead
to
your
being
withdrawn
from
the
examination/coursework.
Independent
Research
and
Reading
As
well
as
specific
research
tasks
you
will
be
set
throughout
the
year,
you
will
also
be
expected
to
read
text
books
that
will
enhance
your
knowledge.
Although
we
do
not
recommend
a
specific
set
textbook
for
the
course,
there
are
many
great
books
about
Film
for
you
to
use.
Your
teacher
will
give
you
further
guidance
on
this.
In
addition,
keep
an
eye
on
SIGHT
&
SOUND
magazine
in
the
library
every
month,
as
well
as
Film-­‐related
articles
in
Friday
editions
of
newspapers
like
THE
GUARDIAN
and
THE
INDEPENDENT,
as
well
as
websites
like
BFI
or
ROTTEN
TOMATOES.
Analysing
texts
in
class
and
note
taking
This
year
you
will
be
watching
a
variety
of
different
film
texts
in
class.
These
will
be
a
combination
of
entire
films,
documentaries.
and
extracts.
You
will
need
to
make
detailed
notes
in
class
on
the
texts
as
you
watch
them.
Please
make
sure
you
keep
a
dedicated
6

7. notebook
for
Film
Studies
that
you
can
keep
all
of
your
notes
in.
This
is
essential
for
successful
revision
and
meeting
assessment
criteria.
Practical
Work
One
piece
of
your
assessment
coursework
is
a
Creative
Project.
This
project
will
allow
you
to
develop
your
creative
skills
in
pre-­‐production
and
filmmaking.
This
practical
work
will
involve
you
working
in
a
group
with
other
students,
and
is
for
many
students
the
highlight
of
the
course.
I
encourage
you
also,
if
possible,
to
develop
your
practical
skills
by
using
camcorders
outside
of
class,
not
just
related
to
your
coursework.
Practice
and
experience
can
help
your
A2
grade.
Equipment
For
your
Creative,
you
will
be
provided
with
equipment
by
the
college.
This
will
include
a
camcorder
and
tripod
and
other
specialist
equipment.
Some
equipment
will
be
provided
to
you
by
your
teacher,
but
you
may
need
to
borrow
other
equipment
from
the
Media
Technician.
All
equipment
borrowed
must
be
returned
on
time
and
in
the
condition
in
which
it
was
lent
to
you.
If
you
wish
to
use
your
own
equipment,
please
check
with
technician
that
your
footage
is
in
a
compatible
format
with
college
iMacs.
Trips
There
is
at
least
two
trips
planned
this
year.
The
1st
trip
is
to
the
British
Film
Institute
Reuben
Library
to
help
you
get
secondary
research
sources
for
your
Research
Investigation
coursework.
This
is
a
compulsory
trip.
The
second
trip
is
to
the
BFI
London
Film
Festival
to
watch
as
yet
unreleased
films
in
the
UK,
which
will
tie
in
with
the
themes
of
the
course.
You
will
get
further
details
from
your
media
teacher.
Health
and
Safety
Your
health
and
safety
Is
of
paramount
importance
to
Coulsdon
Sixth
Form
College.
As
Film
Studies
students,
you
will
have
the
opportunity
to
film
both
inside
and
outside
of
college.
As
part
of
this
filming,
you
will
have
to
carry
out
a
risk
assessment
of
the
environments
in
which
you
want
to
film.
This
is
standard
industry
practice,
and
is
essential
for
you
to
remain
safe
when
carrying
out
practical
work.
Use
of
Terminology
and
Theory
You
will
be
learning
a
significant
amount
of
new
terminology
this
year
related
to
analysis
of
the
media.
Revisiting
outside
of
class
the
terms
you
have
studied
in
class
will
enhance
your
knowledge
and
understanding
throughout
the
course.
You
will
also
be
learning
new
theoretical
concepts
that
you
will
need
to
apply
in
the
examination.
Filming
Week
In
January
2015
you
will
have
an
allocated
week
of
lessons
in
which
you
will
be
filming
your
Creative
Project.
During
the
lessons
that
week
you
will
film
most
of
your
footage
for
your
project
on
site,
with
the
assistance
of
your
teacher
and/or
the
Media
Technician.
Students
who
wish
to
film
any
footage
off
site
will
have
to
do
so
outside
of
college
hours.
You
will
need
to
pre-­‐arrange
this
with
your
teacher,
and
borrow
equipment
if
needed.
7

8. Editing
Week
After
your
filming
week
you
will
have
an
allocated
editing
week
for
your
projects.
Editing
will
take
place
on
the
Resource
Area
Apple
Mac
computers.
You
will
have
allocated
lesson
time
to
edit,
and
will
be
able
to
access
the
Macs
outside
of
lessons
to
work
on
your
projects.
You
will
be
using
iMovie.
Adobe
Premiere
or
Final
Cut
Pro
are
also
available
to
those
experienced
with
this
software.
Library
and
Internet
Resources
Shortly
after
your
course
starts,
the
A2
Film
Studies
blog
will
have
links
and
lists
of
library
resources
and
internet
resources
to
help
you
with
your
studies.
Plagiarism
Policy
The
College
has
a
very
clear
Plagiarism
Policy,
which
is
available
to
all
students
on
Moodle
under
Assessment
Policy:
Malpractice.
Plagiarism
occurs
when
a
person
uses
other
people’s
thoughts
or
writing
and
presents
them
as
his/her
own;
that
is,
without
clearly
acknowledging
the
source
of
the
information.
It
can
take
several
forms,
including
directly
copying
another
person’s
work
from
the
Internet,
a
book,
or
another
learner’s
assignment,
paraphrasing
another
person’s
work,
cutting
and
pasting
together
sections
of
work
of
others
into
a
new
whole,
or
receiving
material
help
from
other
people
while
producing
an
assignment.
Submitted
coursework
that
has
been
deemed
by
the
College
or
the
Exam
Board
to
be
copied
may
not
be
marked,
or
may
lead
to
you
being
disqualified.
Resource
Area
Please
note
that
the
rules
for
using
the
Media
Studies
resource
area
have
changed
from
last
year.
The
Research
Area
is
open
for
use
only
by
media,
film,
music
and
art
students.
The
iMacs
are
strictly
for
doing
work,
and
you
will
not
be
allowed
to
socialise
in
the
Resource
Area
at
all.
8