AS Level / A Level Film Studies (Full-Time/Part-Time)
Course Overview
Also available as a Part-Time option – please select ‘Click here to contact us’ for more information.
The AS Level / A Level Film Studies course located in the Sixth Form Academy (SFA) will bring alive the subject of cinema and provide a fascinating and detailed insight into the world of films and filming.
You will investigate Film as an art form, looking at the way meaning is created by film-makers through techniques such as sound, costume, lighting and camerawork. You will study narrative theories and story-telling methods, looking at characters and plot points as well as different genres and how we interact with them. You will also look at social and cultural changes within the American and British film industries. As part of your final project, you would use what you have learned to create a short film extract or a screenplay in a genre of your choice.
Applying for AS Levels or A Levels? Click ‘Apply Now’ on any ONE of the subjects you are interested in studying. Complete the online application form, where you will be asked to specify your other two choices. Then book an Interview appointment to meet the tutors and discuss your preferred choices.
A minimum of six GCSEs at Grade C or above including English
The combination of film theory and the editing and production techniques covered on this course will prepare you for further studies in film, media, journalism, broadcasting and communication at higher education.
Previous students have gone on to work for local media industries and even set up their own production companies.
Studying Film enables you to see the world in a different light and develop a wide range of transferable skills for further education, work and life:
• Creative Thinking
• Critical Thinking
• Emotional Intelligence
• Film Analysis
• Textual Analysis
• Communication
• Research skills
• Literacy
• Technical competencies (i.e. film editing)
Students of Film Studies are the students of the future, gaining the skills needed to develop successful careers and great academic minds.
Whether you are studying AS or A Level Film, your first year will cover the same topic areas:
• Hollywood 1930-1990
• American Independent Film
• British film
• European Film
• Film Production
A Level students will also study:
• Global Film
• Documentary
• Silent Film
• Experimental Film
• Short Film
At both levels 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 and what was happening when the film was made. What can the film tell us about history and society at that time? You will study the films in terms of the representations they present or challenge. At AS students study the specialist film areas of Spectatorship & Narrative. At A Level you will engage in the study of Ideology, the Auteur and Critical Debates surrounding Film.
AS
There are two exams at AS, each worth 35% of the qualification with the remaining 30% assessed by production work. Each exam lasts 90 minutes and consists of four extended response questions over two sections.
A Level
Similarly, at A Level there are 2 exams, each worth 35%, and a 30% assessment of production work. The exams at A Level are 150 minutes long and consist of answering 3 extended response questions on Component 1 and 4 extended response questions on Component 2.
Creative Production
On both AS and A Level courses there is a creative production element which allows you to showcase the film-making or screenwriting skills you have developed during the course:
AS:
• Film Extract (video) or Film Extract Screenplay (with storyboard)
• Evaluative Analysis
A Level:
• Short Film (video)
• Short Film Screenplay (with storyboard)
• Evaluative Analysis
Portable storage device e.g Hardrive (carry case) and a memory stick, Headphones - preferably cans. £25 refundable deposit for use of all other media equipment e.g video cameras, photography cameras, tripods, lighting and all other studio equipment.
