Film Studies A Level

Film Studies is about how we engage with films on a textual level; their form and aesthetics, how they produce meaning, and how they articulate our world to us. It encourages you to watch, analyse, discuss and write about films from different perspectives. If you love films and are interested in the analysis and creation of cinema, then you will enjoy Film Studies A Level!

Over the two-year course, you will study twelve films, including films from major film movements and production styles from the USA and the UK, as well as European and World Cinema. You will consider your role as a spectator in the construction of meaning and examine film as an aesthetic art form, a storytelling medium and how films reflect their social and political contexts.

This course not only enables you to understand how films both make meaning and reflect wider societal values, but will also develop your own film-making skills and put theory into practice. Topics of study will include Silent Cinema, Film Noir, French New Wave, Surrealism, Ideology, Auteur Cinema, US and British Contemporary film and Documentary.

A Level Film Studies is a well-regarded subject which allows for significant creative and interpretive scope. The combination of theoretical understanding coupled with technical and creative knowledge means that the qualification offers you the chance to develop your own skills grounded in an academic context. As such, it fits very well alongside a range of other creative and technical subjects to give you a strong basis for university study. Many students go on to study film, television, journalism, or other creative industry related courses. Alternatively, it provides an excellent qualification for a creative apprenticeship or a successful career in the film industry.

Year 1 Modules

US Film History from the Silent Era to 1990

European Cinema – French New Wave

US and UK contemporary cinema

Year 2 Modules

Short film Production

Documentary film

Surrealism & experimental film

Ideology of conflict in film

70% Exam

30% Coursework

Exam Board: OCR

An A Level in Film Studies is a well-regarded subject which also allows for significant creative and interpretive scope. The combination of theoretical understanding coupled with technical and creative knowledge means that the qualification offers students the chance to develop their own skills grounded in an academic context. As such, it fits very well alongside a range of other creative and technical subjects to give you a strong basis for university study. Many students go on to study film, television, journalism or other creative industry related courses.

Alternatively, this course provides an excellent qualification for a creative apprenticeship or a successful career in the film industry.