This document provides an outline of an A Level Film Studies course, focusing on the content and assessments for the AS year. The course encourages students to broaden and deepen their understanding of cinema. The AS year focuses on how to analyze films on a micro and macro level, as well as British and Hollywood cinema. It includes two units - one coursework-based unit involving film analysis essays and a creative project, and one exam-based unit covering the film industry, British cinema, and Hollywood cinema.

1. A Level Film Studies
An outline of the course with a focus on the AS
year and some tasks for this morning to
introduce you to Film Studies work.

2. Film Studies encourages you to both broaden
and deepen your understanding of cinema.
You want to do this because you like films,
you’re a fan, and you want to know more.
You’ll learn more about how to read a film,
about the history of the film industry in
Hollywood and in Britain, and about world
cinema.

3. The AS Film Studies course is organised into
two units of work, one assessed by
coursework and one by an exam.
The main focuses of the AS year are on how
to read film on a ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ level
and on British and Hollywood Cinema.

4. FM1 - Exploring Film Form
This is the coursework unit. You have to
produce two pieces of coursework.
The first piece is an essay, analysing a short
extract, maybe five minutes from a film of
your choice. You earn your marks by
showing how it uses technical elements of
film making like editing, sound and
cinematography to make meaning for the
audience.
We will do some work on a number of films
to teach you how to produce this analysis,
but the choice of film you actually write
your coursework piece on is up to you.

5. The second piece of coursework is a creative
task - you must produce either a
photographic storyboard for a film sequence,
or an extended step outline for a film
sequence (which is like a detailed shooting
script).
To do this you must come up with the idea
for a new film. You earn your marks by
showing in a practical way that you
understand how film uses micro elements
(editing, sound, mise en scene) to make
meaning.

6. FM2 - British and American Film
This is the examination unit. You will sit one
exam in the summer, which lasts for two and
a half hours. There are three sections to
the exam:
Producers and Audiences
Topics in British Cinema
Hollywood Cinema

7. Section A - Producers and Audiences
You have to answer one question, from a
choice of two, about the film industry.
Topics covered include the finances of how
films are made, marketing, stars, cinemas and
home cinema equipment, cinema and the
internet, the British film industry and film
and television.

8. Section B - Topics in British Cinema
The section is on ‘A Study in Identity:
Borders and Belonging’ - looking at ideas of
‘Britishness’ and ethnic minority experience
in modern Britain.
You have to answer one question from a
choice of two about narrative, genre and
representations.
Exam films - ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ and
‘Ghosts’

9. Section C - Hollywood Cinema
This section asks you to compare two
American films which are thematically linked
to each other.
You have to answer one question from a
choice of two, again about narrative, genre
and representations.
Exam Films - ‘Batman’ and ‘The Dark
Knight’

10. Assessment
40% of the mark is from the coursework
unit and and 60% is from the examination
unit.
Most of the first term will be spent
concentrating on coursework, with some
initial thoughts on the exam work. The exam
work will form the focus of the rest of the
year.

11. A2 Film Studies
The A2 Film Course has two further units:
FM3 - Film Research and a Creative Project,
which is a coursework unit.
FM4 - Varieties of Film Experience: Issues
and Debates, which has sections on World
Cinema, Cinema and Emotional Impact, and a
close study of one set film.

12. We spend time in class watching whole films
and film extracts, writing and re-writing,
note taking, having whole class and small
group discussions, reading, and working
online.
All being well we will have a busy and active
Virtual Learning Environment so we can do a
lot of our work online.

13. Although there are set films and set topics
for the exams, you get to set the agenda for
all of your coursework.
You choose the film you write about for your
analytical essay.
You choose the kind of film you work on for
the creative project.

14. Introductory Task - Narrative
The purpose of this task is to start you
thinking beyond the obvious - how do you
know what is going on in a film? What clues
are you actually picking up on?
Watch the opening of Dirty Pretty Things
(the clip is about 8 minutes long) and answer
these questions:-
What is this film about? How do you know?
Who are the important characters? How do
you know?
When and where is it set? How do you
know?

15. Introductory Task - Close Reading
A chance to think more closely about how films
tell stories.
Watch the clip from ‘Audition’
Look through the microanalysis of the film
Watch the clip from ‘City of God’
Fill in the table with information about how the
film uses technical elements of film-making to
make meaning