1. June 07, 2011
Timing is everything
FILM STUDIES
section A: World Cinema (35) - 55 minutes
FM4
Varieties of Film Experiences section B: Spectatorship Topics (35) - 55 minutes
Issues & Debates section C: Close Study (30) - 50 minutes
Total exam time: 165 mins (2hr 45)
Revision 2011
5 minutes for checking work
Specialist Study: Urban Stories - Power, Poverty and Conflict Spectatorship and Documentary
How far is it preferable as a spectator to be presented with a
Explore how stylistic choices contribute to the documentary that offers a very definite point of view towards it
representation of the urban experience in the films you have subject?
studies for this topic.
Bowling For Columbine immediately positions the spectator of the film
Throughout the opening scenes, there are many establishing longs shots, on the boundary of how we expect a documentary to address its
which help to establish the setting and create contrast between the slums audience.
and the city.
The primary protagonist, who happens to be Moore himself, is
An example of this is the extreme long shot of Tsotsi’s shack. This introduced, after an opening montage sequence which ironically
illustrates that he lives in a community surrounded by poverty. This shot explains how on the morning of the Columbine shootings, America was
foreshadows the scenes of John and Pumla’s house whereby it is evident behaving in ‘typical’ fashion. He uses a mix of voice over, non-diegetic
they are middle-class South Africans who are not accustomed to the music and the visual juxtapositioning of a series of disparate images.
‘slum’ life and live amongst others of their class.
This postmodern, MTV aesthetic at work here, rather than undermining
This directly relates to the theme of class distinction and wealth the film, draws the viewer in aligning us with his point of view. In this
contributing to one’s standard of living and highlights the segregation and way the work transcends the expected (documentary) boundaries,
immediate contrasts between the slum and wealthy. combining both entertainment and factual communication.

2. June 07, 2011
Single Film: Close Critical Study
SECTION A
How far has critical debate about your chosen film
shaped and altered your response?
An urban story can be any film in which the city is a
As the story unravels we see Scottie portrayed as being rather defining presence – in which charactersʼ lives are
obsessive in nature. defined by existence within the urban environment.
He becomes the pursuer who chases Madeleine into somewhat
extreme circumstances, which are eventually out of both his and The words “power”, “poverty” and “conflict” all appear
her control, such the scene at old Fort Point where he rescues
in the title of this option.
her from the supposed drowning.
It is this pursuit of Madeleine that Mulvey sees as Scottie’s erotic
obsession based on a castration anxiety (Mulvey 23). It is for this
reason that the camera resorts to framing women as icons or
objects to be looked at, interrupting the film’s narrative flow.
Rather than being subjects, women in classical Hollywood film
function instead as objects of visual pleasure.
SECTION C
SECTION B
How important is it that students are aware of critical writing on
their chosen close study film?
Spectatorship is absolutely central to this section.
How we watch and respond to films requires a careful consideration This section is described as a “critical study”. The primary energy for
of our role and behaviour as spectator. this will come from the studentʼs own application of learning.
However, reading, reflecting upon and debating a variety of critical
Documentary raises real issues for the spectator, particularly around writing on the chosen film is also invited.
watching the ʻrealʼ as opposed to the fictional.
It is expected that students will go into the examination aware of the
In addition, as a spectator it is possible to evaluate the different effects
major debates surrounding their chosen film and will
achieved by different styles of documentary and different kinds of
have established their own critical views in the context of this
documentary practice.
knowledge.