A level Film Studies

A Two Year Course

Course Structure

• It is 70% exam

• 30% NEA (course work)

Exam Course

Core Study Areas(all films)

• The Key elements of film form

how films are made- cinematography/sound/mise en scene/ editing/performance

• Meaning and response

What directors mean by their construction of the narrative

How spectators (audiences) interpret the film

• Contexts (social/historical/institutional

When films were made/what period is represented in the film/what companies made the film and why?

Specialist study areas• In addition to the core study areas, each film will its own ‘specialist

area’.

• Exam questions could refer to either the core or specialist area

Example of exam question

Component one (paper 1)

Non Exam Assessment (coursework)

• Students will have to construct a 5 minute short film

(research will consist of studying 10 short films

• Students have to write 1600-1800 words

Core Area: Film Form

Aims:

• To introduce the different elements of film form

• To introduce and be able to identify the relevant key words

• To understand how each element is enhanced (improved/is more effective) by the other parts (elements)

• To understand how Film Form helps to create ‘Film Aesthetics’

Objectives

• To introduce key words of cinematography/editing/sound/mise enscene

• To investigate how they are all used in one extract

Studying a film

• When we analyze a film, it is important for us to look beyond whether we enjoyed it or not, and instead attempt to appreciate its artistic merits, and determine why it elicits that particular response. And, it is absolutely critical to realize that those are two distinct concepts: one may evaluate a film as “great” while simultaneously contending, “I didn’t really like it”.

•

When a director makes a film he/she has 4 ‘tools’ to create their vision

• Camera work

• Sound

• Editing

• Mise en scene

These 4 tools allow the director to show the genre, create representations and tell the narrative

Camera Work (cinematography) Mise en SceneCamera shots Props/costumesCamera angles locationsCamera movement positioning

facial expressions/body languagecolour/lighting

Film Form

Sound EditingNon diegetic cut /pace /continuityDiegetic match on action /eye-line matchParallel shot reverse shot/cross-cuttingContrapuntal ellipsisambient use of sound and image

(synchronicity)