FILM STUDIES

LEVEL 3: A LEVEL 
EXAMINING BOARD: EDUQAS

This course will give you an appreciation of film as an art form and enhance your understanding of the world.

It incorporates a creative production element where you will be able to put what you have learnt into practice by making a short film or writing a screenplay.

It will question your perspective on a whole host of issues, for example, representation of race or gender.

Studying film allows you to understand important issues and developments within history, society and culture, using film as a medium with which to gain a greater insight.

From Silent Cinema to Contemporary Hollywood, the films on the specification are of depth and substance and have been purposefully chosen to offer rich and interesting analysis. They represent different time periods and different moments in history showing alternative representations of culture and people.

Film Studies will help you develop a wide range of transferable skills for further education, work and life including creative thinking, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, film analysis, textual analysis, communication research skills, literacy and technical competencies (e.g. film editing).

 

Course Content

You will study the following topics:

  • Hollywood 1930-1990
  • American Independent Film
  • British Film
  • European Film
  • Global Film
  • Documentary
  • Silent Film
  • Experimental Film
  • Short Film

You will study the key elements of film form including cinematography, mise en scène, editing, sound and performance. You will also study the contexts of your chosen films – what can the film tell us about history and society at that time?

As a minimum, you will need (or equivalent to):

  • GCSE Mathematics grade 4
  • GCSE English Language grade 4
  • plus three more GCSEs at grade 4

It is recommended you have a GCSE English Literature grade 9-6. 

There are two exams, each worth 35% of your grade and an assessment of production work worth 30%. The exams are 2.5 hours in duration and consist of answering long form essay questions.

Your creative production work may be a short film (video) or a short film screenplay (with storyboard) evaluative analysis.

Students of Film Studies are the students of the future, gaining the skills needed to develop successful careers and great academic minds. Oxford and Cambridge are now offering Masters and PHD courses in Film Studies and Screen Arts.

Russell Group universities value Film Studies as an appropriate A Level qualification when prospective students apply to study a humanities or arts related discipline.

Employment in the screen industries has grown by over 20% since 2009 and will substantially outpace the economy wide increase of 3% if the skills shortages in this area are fulfilled.

Career paths for students of Film include practical avenues such as Film-Making, Directing, Producing and Editing but also more theoretical pathways such as Film Criticism, Journalism, Teaching and Education.

 

Are there any related EnRICH opportunities?

All students can also attend our weekly film club or join our Media Crew, where you get the chance to work on video productions, produce promotional materials for businesses, and record live event multi-camera coverage of performances.