Note that this subject is only available at Key Stage 4

Curriculum Aims

Film is an important part of many people's lives. Those who choose to study it characteristically bring with them a huge enthusiasm and excitement for film which constantly motivates them in their studies. They experience a powerful medium which inspires a range of responses from the emotional to the reflective as they are drawn into characters, their narratives and the issues films raise. The root of that power is the immersive audio-visual experience film offers – one which can exploit striking cinematography, composition, and locations as well as powerful music and sound. It is not surprising that many consider film to be the major art form of the last hundred years and that many feel it important to study a medium which has such a significant influence on the way people think and feel.

Film Studies is designed to draw on learners' enthusiasm for film and introduce them to a wide variety of cinematic experiences through films which have been important in the development of film and film technology. Learners will develop their knowledge of US mainstream film by studying one film from the 1950s and one film from the later 70s and 80s, thus looking at two stages in Hollywood's development. In addition, they will be studying more recent films – a US independent film as well as films from Europe, including the UK, South Africa and Australia.

Production is an important part of the curriculum and is integral to learners' study of film. Studying a diverse range of films from several different contexts is designed to give learners the opportunity to apply their knowledge and understanding of how films are constructed to their own filmmaking and screenwriting. This is intended to support learners in producing creative films and screenplays as well as enable their production work to provide an informed filmmaker's perspective on their own study of film.

GCSE Film Studies aims to develop knowledge and understanding of:

• the ways in which meanings and responses are generated through film

• a contrasting, culturally diverse range of films from different national contexts

• film as an aesthetic medium

• how films reflect the social, cultural and political contexts in which they are made

• the relationship between film and film technology over time.

In addition, the specification aims to enable learners to apply their knowledge and understanding of film to filmmaking or screenwriting.

Course: GCSE Film Studies (C670QS)

Exam Board: WJEC Eduqas

Final Assessment: Two exams (35% each) and a production module (30%)

Curriculum Overview

Key Developments in US Film

This unit of work includes three different sections. A comparison of two US films, a unit that tests the knowledge of how film and technology have developed and a focus on a US independent film.

Global Film: Narrative, Representation and Film Style

This unit analyses three different films, a global English language film that focuses on narrative, a global non-English language film that focuses on representation and a British film that focuses on the style of the film.

Production

A practical module where a genre-based screenplay or short film is created and evaluated.