This document provides resource material for a GCE AS/A level exam on British and American film. The exam consists of three sections and students must answer one question from each section. Section A focuses on producers and audiences and provides three items for analysis: a film download website, a film promotional website, and a newspaper article about viral marketing of a film. Section B focuses on appealing to UK audiences and provides information on elements that make Hollywood films successful, a poster for a popular UK film without stars, and a box office list of top films in the UK for 2007. The exam then provides 14 additional questions, with topics including genre, stars, production companies, cultural and social-political contexts, and a comparative American film section.

1. GCE AS/A level
1182/01
New AS
FILM STUDIES
FM2
British and American Film
A.M. THURSDAY, 15 January 2009
21⁄2 hours
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
In addition to this examination paper, you will need:
•
•
Resource material
a 12 page answer book.
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Answer three questions, one from each section.
Write your answers in the separate answer book provided.
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
Each question carries 40 marks.
The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question.
You are reminded that assessment will take into account the quality of written communication used in
your answers.
CJ*(W09-1182-01)

2. 2
FM2: British and American Film
Answer three questions – one from each section.
Section A: Producers and Audiences
Choose one question from this section.
Either
1.
Study the items in Part A of the resource material, which includes:
– a website to download films
– an official film website
– a newspaper article on a Hollywood film and the web.
Using this material as a starting point, and drawing on your own case studies, answer the following
question:
‘The internet is of equal benefit to producers and audiences.’ How far do you agree?
[40]
or
2.
Study the items in Part B of the resource material, which includes:
– the three basic elements for a successful Hollywood film
– a poster for a popular UK film without stars
– a box office list of the top ten films of 2007 in the UK.
Using this material as a starting point, and drawing on your own case studies, answer the following
question:
‘Hollywood films have movie stars. That’s why they are more appealing to UK audiences
than UK films.’ How far do you agree with this comment?
[40]
(1182-01)

3. 3
Section B: British Film Topics
Choose one question from this section.
British Film and Genre
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following:
Horror or Comedy.
Either
3.
How far are the narratives of the genre films you have studied for this topic predictable?
[40]
or
4.
What have you found interesting about some of the messages and values contained in the genre
films you have studied for this topic?
[40]
British Film and Stars
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following:
Julie Christie or Ewan McGregor.
Either
5.
How far does the image of the star contribute to the presentation of themes in the films you have
studied for this topic?
[40]
or
6.
What are some of the ways in which your chosen star represents gender in the films you have
studied for this topic?
[40]
British Film and Production Companies
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following:
Ealing Studios or Working Title.
Either
7.
How far can it be said that there are similarities in the themes of different films made by your
production company?
[40]
or
8.
To what extent do the films made by your production company use stereotypical characters to
communicate messages and values?
[40]
(1182-01)
Turn over.

4. 4
British Film: Cultural Study
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following:
Swinging Britain 1963-1973 or Thatcher’s Britain: the 1980s.
Either
9.
How far are there particular themes that link the films you have studied for this topic?
[40]
10. How do the films you have studied for this topic reflect the time in which they were made?
[40]
or
British Film: Social-Political Study – ‘Living with Crime’
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on the following:
‘Living with Crime’.
Either
11. How important is narrative structure in communicating the theme of ‘living with crime’ in the
films you have studied for this topic?
[40]
or
12. How far are criminal characters represented as victims of their circumstances in the films you have
studied for this topic?
[40]
British Film: Identity Study – ‘Borders and Belonging’
You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on the following:
‘Borders and Belonging’.
Either
13. In what ways do the endings of the films you have studied for this topic convey messages and
values?
[40]
or
14. How do the filmmakers represent separation between groups and/or communities in the films you
have studied for this topic?
[40]
Section C: American Film – Comparative Study
Choose one question from this section.
You should discuss a minimum of two American films in your answer.
Either
15. Compare and contrast the messages and values conveyed by the narrative resolutions of your
chosen films.
[40]
Or
16. What have you found interesting in the representation of gender in the films you have studied?
(1182-01)
[40]

5. GCE AS/A level
1182/01-A
New AS
FILM STUDIES
FM2
British and American Film
A.M. THURSDAY, 15 January 2009
21⁄2 hours
Resource Material for use with Section A
CJ*(W09-1182-01A)

6. 2
Study the items in Part A, the resource material for use with Section A, Question 1.
Item 1: a website to download films
http://netmoviedownloads.com/
Item 2: an official film website
http://www.sexand thecitymovie.com/
(1182-01A)

7. 3
Item 3: a newspaper article on Hollywood film and the web
‘Snakes on a Plane’ blog buzz forces Hollywood into overdue attitude adjustment
Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, June 12, 2006
Snakes on a Plane (SoaP for short) won’t be released until August. But it’s already
generated an Internet buzz heard around the world – a buzz so loud it might signal a
major shift in the relationship between merchandisers and consumers. SoaP is currently
exhibit A in the chaotic debate over viral marketing, an advertising approach that, when it
works, publicizes a product contagiously through word of mouth. One might even say that
SoaP has started a revolution – quick, tell a friend!
Not since 1999’s Blair Witch Project has a film spawned so much free, grassroots
enthusiasm among a youth market that studios usually spend millions courting. What’s
more, “Snakes on a Plane” achieved its cult status while still in production, thanks to a title
absurd enough to spawn fan sites, homemade T-shirts, and a host of fake movie posters
and trailers on communities like YouTube.com. When its studio, New Line Cinema,
contemplated changing the film’s name to “Pacific Air Flight 121”, it discovered that
“Snakes on a Plane” had grown popular enough to enter online parlance as another way
of saying “s_ happens”. New Line wisely decided to leave the title alone, and went on to
embrace SoaP’s fan base by adding five extra days of shooting to increase the film’s overthe-top elements.
www.sfgate.com
(1182-01A)
Turn over.

8. 4
Study the items in Part B of the resource material for use with Section A, Question 2.
Item 1: the three basic elements for a successful Hollywood film
There are three ‘elements’ that provide the ingredients for a successful Hollywood film: a star,
a big name director and a property (such as a novel from which a screenplay can be
produced).
Element
The Departed
No Country for Old Men
Director
Martin Scorsese
Coen Brothers
Star(s)
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon
Tommy Lee Jones,
Javier Bardem
Property
Re-make of Hong Kong Film:
Novel by Cormac McCarthy
Internal Affairs
Item 2: a poster for a popular UK film without stars
(1182-01A)

9. 5
Item 3: a box office list of the top ten films of 2007 in the UK
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2007
1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (£49,420,484)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (£42,237,960)
3. Shrek the Third ((£38,620, 659)
4. The Simpsons Movie (£38,544,114)
5. Spider-Man 3 (£33,547,946)
6. Ratatouille (£24,716,887)
7. The Bourne Ultimatum (£23,703,150)
8. Transformers (£22,863,864)
9. Mr Bean’s Holiday (£22,142,332)
10. Hot Fuzz (£21,005,064)
Source: Screen International
(1182-01A)