Film Studies - Intent, Impact and Implementation

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Intent: We aim to give our pupils and students a challenging, rich, and broad experience of the many genres of film texts which incorporates a consideration of national and international culture through filmmakers, context and critical work. Our students also have the opportunity to challenge their own creative capability through the creation of screenplays and short films.

Our pupils and students are given the opportunity to learn about film from its very beginnings in narrative, through the technological of silent film, for example in the ground-breaking work of the Lumiere brothers. We range through the history of Old and New Hollywood, the development of British Film and the impact of European and non-European World Film.

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is currently building – we have a Year 9 Option class currently which has proved extremely successful, with its study of, amongst others, the iconic film ‘Black Panther’ which resonates personally with many of our school community. Our intent is to build the course through GCSE and feed this into the existing A Level provision.

At A Level, we follow the Eduqas specification which allows for a wide and challenging study of film which enables our students to develop their understanding of filmmaking in its technical aspects but also to engage with the importance of auteurship, context and spectatorship.

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Implementation: As subject specialists, enthusiasts and lifelong learners, our department discusses developments in theory and practice; we are in regular contact with colleagues from across the country and take part in specification specific online fora in order to share ideas and develop our own curriculum. We take time to plan and reflect, formalising our findings into an organic provision for our students.

Our schemes of work implement the range of skills which allow our students to become confident practitioners. We regularly hold viewings of our key films and genres and have a staff contact at the British Film Institute which will allow fruitful visits.

Our extra-curricular provision encourages our pupils to engage with new films and to take part in the many opportunities offered by ‘Into Film’ and the BFI.

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Impact: Our Year 9 option course has been extremely well received and our pupils have appreciated the opportunity to see how culture has been explored through the phenomenon of ‘Black Panther’.

Our A Level course is extremely well received by our students and the move to linear A Level has allowed for a much more focused programme of study into each area. Our students learn about the world around them and beyond, through the study of film, and are able to articulate their own ideologies creatively through film. We have had students go on to study Film at university and to work in the industry.

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Eduqas Film Studies A Level

Component 1: Varieties of film and filmmaking (35%)

• Written exam – 2 hours and 30 minutes

  • Hollywood 1930-1990

  • American Film Since 2005

  • British Film since 1995

 

Component 2: Global Filmmaking Perspectives (35%)

• Written exam – 2 hours and 30 minutes

  • Global Film

  • Documentary Film

  • Film Movements – Silent Cinema

  • Film Movements – Experimental Film

 

Component 3: Production (30%)

• A creative element

  • A short film (4-5 mins) or a Screenplay (1800 words)

  • Evaluative Evaluation (1800 words)