Department of Film Studies
Curriculum Leader:
Mrs Claire Naisbitt (cnaisbitt@stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk)
Subject Background:
Welcome to the Film Studies Information Zone. Film Studies at Saint Michael’s is intended to allow pupils to:
- Develop their interest and enjoyment of film in its national and global contexts and begin to develop an appreciation of cultural diversity through the close study of a wide range of films.
- Develop a critical and investigative approach to films, the film industry and film audiences.
- Study patterns of similarity and difference across a range of films.
- Recognise the ways in which films represent people, places, ideas, issues and events to different audiences.
- Recognise the ways in which film technologies shape film productions.
- Recognise and explore the creative possibilities of film and film products.
- Engage with aesthetic, technical, economic, ethical and moral issues as they arise in their study of film, film audiences and the film industry.
The Syllabus:
Students are introduced to the subject in Key Stage Three, through Film units within English, which link to the texts being studied.
At Key Stage Four, students have the option to take GCSE Film Studies as an option. This is the Eduqas course, and consists of two exam units and a coursework project.
There are six films studied in depth across the two exam units. These are: Hollywood mainstream films (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off & Rebel Without a Cause); an independent US film (Whiplash); an independent UK Film (Submarine); a foreign language film (Let the Right One In) and a UK produced international film (Slumdog Millionaire). Films are analysed from aesthetic, cultural and social perspectives.
For the coursework project (Practical production), students create their own short films or film scripts, along with a supporting account in which they discuss their creative process.
The weighting of the GCSE course:
Component (Paper) 1: Key Developments in US Film (35% of overall mark)
Component (Paper) 2: Global Film: Narrative, Representation and Film Style (35 % of overall mark)
Component 3: Practical Production (30% of overall mark)
Beyond the Classroom:
In addition to the formal element of the GCSE course, extra-curricular activities are also offered at Key Stage Four. These are:
Influences and offshoots! This is a lunchtime group which looks at the influences on the films we study, other key films in the same genres, and excerpts of original novels and novelisations.
The Writers’ Room! This is a regular after-school session in which the students share ideas, write scripts, and give readings of their own material. Much of this experience and material finds its way into the students’ practical productions.
Wider Reading Library. We encourage wider reading on the subject of film production, history and culture, and a wide range of articles, chapters and papers are made available to students.
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