A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Contents 1. Introduction
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2. Specification
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3. Course content
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4. Assessment objectives
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5. Assignments
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6. Resources
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7. Film list
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8. Year plan
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9. Important dates
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10. Exam details & overview of course
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Introduction This booklet will help you to understand the course aims, structure and assessment methods and will help you to get the most out of studying with us. Please keep this guide at the front of your Film Studies file as you will need to refer to it during the year. Enrichment: During the year the Division will provide a range of enrichment activities, including cinema trips, which you may want to take part in. Some of the activities are offered as part of the college’s enrichment programme, which takes place on Wednesday afternoons. You can enrol for these activities at various times of the year. Speak to your subject lecturer or tutor for more details on enrichment courses. Attendance: Good attendance is obviously a prerequisite to achieving the best you can but if you do have to miss a lesson then make sure you report the absence to the absence hotline (see Moodle). Progress: Reviewing your performance and planning improvements is an important part of your experience with us and reflects the high expectations we have of students at Nelson and Colne College. In tutorial you will review your own progress and set targets for improving your performance. Action plans from Film Studies will contribute to that review. With every assignment you do you will be given a set of action points indicating what you need to work on and each term you will receive a formal review and action plan that is copied to you tutor. You must keep a progress record sheet at the front of your folder and record all feedback (written and verbal) as well as your own action plan. This helps you to track your progress and take control of your learning. Equality & diversity: It is your responsibility as a student to treat everyone with respect. You must not use language that is offensive or exercise any kind of prejudice.
Specification You can find the full specification for the course, along with past exam papers and examiners’ reports on the WJEC examination board website at www.wjec.co.uk. As an A2 student you will be expected to access this site and familiarise yourself with the specification and the examiners’ reports. This is especially important in A2 Film Studies as it is quite a complex course.
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Course Content The A2 Film Studies course builds on what you have learned at AS Level. You will be using the skills learned last year and expanding your knowledge of film. This year you will be exploring foreign film and film movements; investigating and researching a film; developing your filmmaking skills and studying specific topics including international film styles and experimental film. Each module links to and builds on one or more of the AS modules so you will be familiar with the approaches to the topics.
FM3: Film Research & Creative Projects This is the coursework module. Small-Scale Research Project: This module will allow you to work independently. You will carry out extensive research on a film director of your choice. The project involves the compilation of a catalogue of sources, a presentation script and an evaluation. Creative Project: The second part of the coursework is practical. You will produce a short film in addition to an aims and context document and a reflective analysis. The coursework will be completed before Christmas.
FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates This module is divided into three parts:Section A: World Cinema In this topic you will be exploring International Film Styles, specifically French New Wave from 1958-1965 and the Hong Kong New Wave of the 1990s. Section B: Spectatorship Topics This module focuses on Popular Film & Emotional Response. We will be studying two films in detail: Shutter Island and The Hurt Locker. Section C: Single Film – Critical Study This section allows you to apply all the critical frameworks you have learned to the study of one film. The film will be Vertigo.
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Assessment Objectives
AL1
AL2
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of film as an audiovisual form of creative expression together with its contexts of production and reception and of the diversity in filmmaking across different historical periods and locations. Apply knowledge and understanding, including some of the common critical approaches that characterise the subject, when exploring and analysing films and when evaluating their own creative projects to show how meanings and responses are generated. Demonstrate the ability to devise film projects creatively, applying appropriate planning and production skills effectively.
AL3 Demonstrate ability to undertake, apply and present research into film topics.
AL4
Assignments You will be given a range of assignments during the year designed to develop the skills needed to succeed in A2 Media Studies. Major assignments will be set twice every half term and you will usually receive feedback within seven days of the deadline. You will also be given short research assignments to prepare you for class discussions or debates. In class you will be given short tests and quizzes to help you to assess your own learning. Expect to be asked questions about what you learned in the previous lesson. You must keep your own progress sheet to record marks, feedback and your own action plans. When writing assignments, use the LRC to broaden your understanding of a topic. As an A2 student you will be expected to read around a subject and provide evidence of this by including quotations in your essays. An appropriate quotation can help to reinforce a point and it is always useful to read what different people have written about a subject. From a lecturer’s (and examiner’s) perspective it is always rewarding to see evidence of wider reading in essays and analyses.
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Finally, make sure you meet homework deadlines. Your lecturer may report you to your tutor for missed or late assignments.
Resources As an A2 student you will be expected to make full use of the resources available in the LRC. You should read a range of newspapers and periodicals and use the books and Internet to inform your work. The more you know about a topic the more rewarding it will be both in terms of results and personal enjoyment. It is essential that you read Media Magazine as well as the media section of Monday’s Guardian.
Books: There are no A2 Film Studies textbooks at the moment but the LRC has a range of books that correspond to the modules you will be studying. You will receive a reading list at the beginning of each module. The following are the best general film theory books that will help you throughout the course. Try to buy at least one of them:Nelmes, Jill [Ed.], An Introduction to Film Studies Jones, Tanya, AS/A Level Film Studies: Essential Word Dictionary Hill & Church Gibson [Eds.], The Oxford Guide to Film Studies Cook & Bernink, The Cinema Book
DVD/video: There is a large collection of DVDs and videos in the LRC and these are free to borrow. Films include Hollywood, foreign, old and new, mainstream and alternative. Try to watch one film every week. Internet & Moodle: The Film Studies Moodle page is your gateway to lots of film related links. Also you will find links to the exam board website as well as interactive learning materials. Use Moodle to find resources for each topic and to post messages on the film discussion board. You will be required to complete quizzes and assignments on Moodle.
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Newspapers and periodicals: Media Magazine (quarterly) (although this is primarily a Media Studies resource it often contains excellent articles about film). Sight and Sound (monthly)(the best film magazine) Empire (monthly) (excellent industry news; fun read) The Guardian (read the Media section on Mondays)
A2 Film Studies Film List This is a list of the key films you will be studying this year. Most of the films are in the LRC. You will find it useful to watch the films before the start of each module. Key films are asterisked. FM3: Film Research & Creative Projects
FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates
Small Scale Research Project
You will need to watch at least 3 films by your chosen auteur, (examples of directors include David Lynch, Martin Scorsese and Alfred Hitchcock)
Creative Project
The films you watch will depend on your chosen project. You will take inspiration for your film from your auteur study
A: French New Wave
Hong Kong New Wave
A Bout de Souffle* Jules et Jim Vivre Sa Vie Pierrot le Fou Chungking Express* Fallen Angels Days of Being Wild In the Mood for Love
B: Spectatorship Topics: Popular Film & Emotional Response
Shutter Island The Hurt Locker
C: Single Film – Critical Study
Vertigo
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Year Plan
Week No.
Topic Small Scale Research Project
Syllabus Title FM3: Film Research & Creative Projects: Small scale Research Project
Weeks 1-6
Creative Project
FM3: Film Research & Creative Projects: Creative Project
Weeks 7-15
New Waves Weeks 16-20
Weeks 21-25
Spectatorship: Experimental Film
Single Film – Critical Study Weeks 26-30
FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates: Section A: International Film Styles – New Waves FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates: Section B: Spectatorship Topics Spectatorship: Experimental & Expanded Film/Video FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates: Section C: Single Film – Critical Study
Important Dates There are several key dates during the academic year that you should be aware of: Examinations:
Coursework deadlines:
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A2 Film Studies Course Handbook
Examinations There will be one examination in June. Module No.
Module title
Topics
• Small Scale Research Project
FM3
• Practical Application of Learning – Creative Work
• Film Styles and Movements
FM4
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Film Research & Creative Projects
Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates
Details
• • • •
Annotated catalogue (1000 words) Presentation script (1500 words) Aims & context Creative product Reflective analysis (1000 words) New Waves (France, 1959-1964 & Hong Kong, mid 1990s)
• Spectatorship Topics
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Popular Film & Emotional Response: The Hurt Locker, Shutter Island
• Single Film – Critical Study
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Vertigo
% of module
Examination
% of A2
Coursework
50%
2 ¾ hours examination in June (3 questions)
50%
40%
60%
35 marks
35 marks
30 marks
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