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Welcome to FilmEdu’s comprehensive resources and materials link covering every aspect of the OCR AS and A2 Film Studies specification.

Studying film is a skill and a pleasure for both students and teachers focussing on key areas of academic study and we like to think we have covered all bases. This includes in depth schemes of work with embedded links, associated resources and many, many, many case studies to kick start or embed the topic.

Expert advice as always is close at hand and we offer differentiated half or full day revision...

Animation - Making Your Own Film

Anyone aspiring to be taken seriously as an animator would be well advised to first learn how to draw and then to learn the animation basics.

No matter if you are interested in doing 3d computer animation or stylised 2d drawings if you can’t draw you are at a disadvantage. Drawing is best learned from doing life drawing lessons, from studying other people’s work who can draw and from just practising.

Leaning to draw will teach you things like anatomy, character, design and composition, all very important...

Click here to browse our Media & Film Studies Dictionary. This will open in a new window.

Welcome to FilmEdu’s comprehensive resources and materials link covering every aspect of the WJEC AS and A2 Film Studies specification.

Studying film is a skill and a pleasure for both students and teachers focussing on key areas of academic study and we like to think we have covered all bases. This includes in depth schemes of work with embedded links, mini student schemes of work, student guides and many, many, many case studies to kick start or embed the topic.

Expert advice as always is close at hand and we offer differentiated half or...

2013-2014 WJEC GCSE Film Studies Superhero and Film Outside Hollywood Overview

Welcome to FilmEdu’s comprehensive resources and materials links covering every aspect of the WJEC GCSE Film Studies Superhero Specification (Summer 2013-2014 Award).

Studying film is a skill and a pleasure for both pupils/students and teachers focussing on key areas of academic study and we like to think we have covered all bases – this includes in depth schemes of work with embedded links, mock exams (coming soon) with mark schemes (coming soon), exemplar...

FilmEdu provides Film Studies consultancy services to schools, colleges and professional organisations.

View Profiles

Click on the links below to view a selection of our experts’ profiles and the workshops, courses and consultancy they can offer:

Nicole Ponsford

Nick Lacey

Rob Miller

Viki Walden

Make Contact

If you would like to contact one of our experts, our contact details are below.

[e] .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
[t] 01604 847689

Digital camcorders are now very good value and you can buy one for about £200. Important considerations:

1. Memory Card | The Most User Friendly Format

Virtually all camcorders now use memory cards to store audio and video.

This works well in an educational situation as each video group, or individual, can have its own card, making it less likely to lose shot material. 

2. Choose A Camcorder with an Exterior Mic Input

An exterior mic offers superior sound quality. The on camera mic is only adequate quality and records sound across a...

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Students can find studying spectatorship challenging.  There are many theories of spectatorship, but starting with the theory can lead students to list theoretical ideas rather than engage with the texts. Let’s not forget this A2 Film Studies unit is about “emotional responses” more than critical ones.

This is a good place to start with students. What is “emotion”? What is “popular film”? And what elements of the film experience trigger emotional responses?

Emotion and Popular Film

The term emotion,...

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Crime and cinema have a longstanding relationship.

Going right back to early cinema one of the landmark silent films was The Great Train Robbery (1903). There is a shot in that film which is overtly referenced as the last shot that we see in the American crime film GoodFellas (1990).

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However, whereas we might argue that the criminal life that’s represented in the Hollywood-produced GoodFellas is somewhat glamourised and told in an overtly artificial way (think of how music is used...

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In 1950, when he was only nineteen years old, Jean-Luc Godard, one day to become one the great filmmakers, wrote a piece for the French publication Gazette du Cinema called Towards A Political Cinema. Even at this young age, Godard was aware of cinema’s power to communicate ideas.

Jean-Luc Godard examines a strip of film

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Film history describes a wide range of film movements that have each had an often-short lifespan that’s been quite specific but the legacies of which have endured....[ read full article ] »

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Cinema is always evolving.

The constantly changing quality of film styles is exciting and since the beginnings of film history many nations around the world have developed their own distinct cinematic style and this continues today in the twenty-first century.

During the early part of the twentieth century one country that contributed very significantly to the development of early cinema, was Russia and now, in 2013, almost a century later, the particular film style that emerged from Russia continues to be an...

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Introduction

National identity and cinema are inextricably connected around the world. Within this national cinema dynamic is to be found the question of what it might mean to ‘be British’, or, more specifically, English. It’s a question that’s the basis of a longstanding narrative that relates powerfully to our filmic identity and, more immediately, our identity as an island nation, physically and culturally (and economically) separate to the mainland of Europe.

If you watch, read or listen to the news...

This brand new, colourful, jargon free guide will take you on a step-by-step journey, enabling groups or individuals to create films of their own. This guide is specifically designed for new film makers and is written by Lizzie Sykes, Senior Lecturer in TV Production at Bournemouth University and a community film maker with over 15 years’ experience. 

The aim of the guide is to provide its readers with the information they need to make key decisions about the films they want to make, and avoid common pitfalls that many groups experience....

Dr David George has lectured both nationally and internationally on the education of gifted and talented children and is the author of Young Gifted and Bored, his most recent publication, The Challenge of the Able Child, Gifted Education and Enrichment Activities for Able Children. He claims to be a teacher first and foremost, having taught in three schools, including nine years in Liverpool. His devotion to teaching, enthusiasm and expertise is reflected in all his courses. David is a keen sportsman and ran for his country and the RAF.

Dr...

It is important to firstly consider the context of this unit as an exploration of world cinema. World cinema is difficult to define; with most definitions reverting to that it can be defined simply as any cinema outside of the globally dominant industry of Hollywood or any non English language cinema. Often discussed as an alternative to Hollywood’s ‘dream factory’, World cinema tends to be perceived as possessing certain features offering an insight into another country’s culture, a low budget gritty representation of real life or...

Institutional Context | Notes on the Background and History of Ealing Studios

To understand the meanings, messages and values of any film as a text it’s important to also explore the institutional context from which it, or group of films, was produced. Context always helps us understand text.

In terms of studying the films produced by Ealing Studios (Ealing being a suburb of west London) we need to have some understanding of the studio’s institutional context in two ways: (i) in terms of British cinema during the 1940s and 1950s and...

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History of a British Studio

British film has often been considered a cottage industry, which means it functions only “at home”. While it has booms, such as the early days of a studio system with the Rank Organisation, it also has disastrous busts. Many of the country’s film studios cannot sustain themselves. Unlike Hollywood, where the studios would be vertically integrated institutions, in Britain, studios have mainly been facility bases – places where people can film.

However, one production company has...

Here are some apps that are used in and out of the Film Studies classroom. We’ve attempted to find links to the different operating systems to help identify if the version you need exists.

Language

Close Up Film Language Glossary iOS

The Close-Up Film Language Glossary of the well-known German Educational Publishers Schöningh provides clear and concise definitions of essential film language terms used in basic and advanced film courses. Though geared for use in high school (particular sixth forms) and higher education the glossary is...

Associated Resources

• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 1 A Grade Response 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 1 D-C Grade Response 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 2 A Grade Response 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 2 D-C Grade Response 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Non Hollywood Exemplars

Associated Resources

• WJEC GCSE Film Sudies Mock Exam Paper 1 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 2 2013.docx

Associated Resources

• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 1 Mark Scheme 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Mark Scheme 2013.docx

Ewan McGregor is a major British film star who has appeared in a wide range of films that have been released globally since 1994. His career has combined performances in a range of lower budgeted feature films and work in highly budgeted, event films released by the major film studios. Over the course of almost twenty years McGregor has appeared in nearly fifty films.

Professionally trained as an actor at London’s Guildhall, McGregor hails from Scotland and the narrative of his career progression from provincial Scotland to being an...

Associated Resources

• GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Non Hollywood High Level Exemplar.doc
• GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Non Hollywood B Grade Exemplar.doc
• GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Non Hollywood C Grade Exemplar.doc

Origins and Development

Social Realist films originate in the 1950s/1960s but drew in terms of their form and style from the British documentary tradition of the 1930s popularised by the GPO Film Unit (Nightmail) who ultimately became the Crown Film Unit at the start of WW2 (Fires Were Started, Britain Can Take It). In the 1960s social realist films became critically and commercially successful and benefitted from the fact that television was only a feature in some middle class households – people flocked to the cinema to see films like...

Introduction

Welcome to FilmEdu’s Film Studies Revision Workshops link. Here you will find a range of workshops tailored to your individual needs and specification, whether at GCSE, AS or A2 or WJEC or OCR. We also run workshops and cpd for GCSE and A Level Media Studies via MediaEdu, our dedicated support site for Media. Click on the links below for further information.

GCSE Film Studies Revision Workshops

• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Superhero and Film Outside Hollywood Revision Workshop

AS / A2 Film Studies Revision Workshops

• OCR AS Film...

Book A Half or Full Day Revision Workshop in Your School

Programme Details

• FilmEdu provides visually dynamic, interactive Revision Courses on Varieties of Film: Issues and Debates dedicated to, and focusing on specification requirements.
• We have experts on all areas of the specification from FM4 Section A: Aspects of a National Cinema, Section B: Spectatorship Topics to Section C: Close Critical Study. It is envisaged that centres will inform FilmEdu prior to the session about key areas, topics and texts you would like us to focus on e.g....

Book A Half or Full Day Revision Workshop in Your School

Programme Details

• FilmEdu provides visually dynamic, interactive Revision Courses on British and American Film dedicated to, and focusing on specification requirements.
• We have experts on all areas of the specification from FM2 Section A: Producers and Audiences, Section B: British Film Topics to Section C: American Film Comparative Study. It is envisaged that centres will inform FilmEdu prior to the session about key areas, topics and texts that you would like us to focus on e.g. two...

Book A Half or Full Day Revision Workshop in Your School

Programme Details

• FilmEdu provides visually dynamic, interactive Revision Courses on Global Cinema and Critical Perspectives dedicated to, and focusing on specification requirements.
• We have experts on all areas of the specification from F633 Section A: Messages and Values in Global Cinema to Section B: Critical Engagement with Film and Cinema. It is envisaged that centres will inform FilmEdu prior to the session sbout the two non English language case studies you would like us to focus...

Book A Half or Full Day Revision Workshop in Your School

Programme Details

• FilmEdu provides visually dynamic, interactive Revision Courses on Contemporary English Language Film dedicated to, and focusing on specification requirements.
• We have experts on all areas of the specification from F631 Section A, covering a range of British and American texts and exploring key areas of representation, messages and values. It is envisaged for Section B that centres will inform FilmEdu prior to the session about key areas, topics and texts that you would...

Book A Half or Full Day Revision Workshop in Your School

Programme Details

• FilmEdu provides visually dynamic, interactive Revision Courses on the Superhero film genre and Films from outside Hollywood dedicated to, and focusing on specification requirements.
• Pupils will study for Paper 1 Superhero Films and be fully prepared for unseen analysis. Focus will be on micro and macro elements including film language, genre and narrative and also a complete understanding of marketing and promotion (including audiences, film production, technology,...

Background: The Beginnings

To fully comprehend any one period in a country’s cinema, there needs to be some contextualisation. Early Mexican filmmakers profited from the turbulent times the country faced at the turn of the century. The civil war was the subject of many silent films; several significant battles were documented on camera. As the country began to stabilize during the 1930s, filmmakers had a myriad of social issues to choose from as themes for their films. However, they preferred a detachment from reality and this tradition...

FM2: Close Study Topic

British Horror: 28 Days Later
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Alex Garland
Cast: Naomie Harris (Selena), Noah Huntley (Mark), Cillian Murphy (Jim), Bredan Gleeson (Frak), Megan Burns (Hannah), Christopher Eccleston (Major Henry West)
Production Company: DNA Films and UK Film Council
Distributors: 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release: 2002

Production Context

With finance from both America’s Fox Searchlight and the UK Film Council the film had a promising beginning. The genre conventions and the success...

Paper 2 | Non-Hollywood Film | Yasmin

Synopsis

The opening of Yasmin reveals a Britain where racism prevails. Khalid and his son (Nasir) open the shutter of the family shop, which has been coated in racist graffiti. Nas proceeds to sing morning prayers – his voice echoes over the city and surrounding hills through the loud speaker - calling everyone to prayer. Several Muslims are seen hurriedly preparing, except one - Yasmin. In a field, just outside of town, she swaps her hijab for skinny jeans and black heels. Then takes to her convertible...

FM2: Close Study Topic

British Horror: The Wicker Man
Director: Robin Hardy
Writers: Anthony Shaffer (Screenplay), [David Pinner - Ritual novel]
Cast: Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, Ingrid Pitt, Diane Cilento

Synopsis

Sergeant Howie, a police officer from mainland Scotland, arrives on a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan. As he tours the island, questioning residents and looking for clues, he falls deeper inside the rabbit hole – discovering customs that seem strange to him, to this era and to the...

Associated Resources

• Technical and Symbolic Codes - Moving Image.ppt

Institutional Factors | Distribution

Submarine was written and directed by Richard Ayoade and released at UK cinemas in March 2011 after significant critical success at festivals including the London Film Festival (LFF) but particularly the Toronto Film Festival. Toronto success secured the film a distribution contract with the Weinstein Company (formerly Disney owned Miramax) – Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s company in essence can be described as a ‘Mini Major’ film distributor, large enough to cope with the distribution of academy...

Scheme

• OCR AS Film Studies SOW.doc

Associated Resources

• OCR A Level Film Studies Overview

Concepts

• Understanding the Macro and Micro Features of Film
• Textual Analysis of Film - Internal Assessment
• Planning for a Creative Artefact - Internal Assessment (Storyboarding)
• Producing / Editing Creative Artefact - Internal Assessment (2 Minute Theatrical Trailer)
• Evaluation
• Cinema in Context (Industry - Blockbuster / Multiplexes / 21st Century Technology)

Skills

• Textual Analysis - Identifying and Understanding English Language Film
• Research and...

Associated Resources

• GCSE Film Studies Micro Analysis A* Grade Example.doc

Profile

The National Media Museum is situated in the heart of Bradford, UNESCO City of Film. We aim to be the best museum in world for inspiring people to learn about, engage with and create media.

• The Museum is home to over 3.5 million items of historical significance. We look after the National Photography, National Cinematography, National Television and National New Media Collections.
• Insight: Collections & Research Centre is where much of the Collection is held, to be explored and enjoyed by everybody.
• Traditional and interactive...

Profile

Cineclub, the young filmmakers network, train professional filmmakers and teachers to set up and run filmmaking workshops for young people.

We aim to create a vibrant and thriving network of young filmmakers who create, watch and share films with each other.

Cineclub offer a range of programmes, projects and annual membership for young people to learn about filmmaking, create their own short films and join our growing network.

Click below to download our brochure.

Cineclub Brochure

Offers

• CineClub Edu Offers

Link

• Cineclub...

The Thinking Film project is comprised of DVDs of selected film clips, CD-ROMs containing downloadable, curriculum-related teaching materials to accompany the extracts as well as online CPD and additional supporting materials.

Please click on the relevant subject icon below for further information on each pack as well as training programmes and other supporting materials.

This project has been made possible through the generous support of the Film Distributors’ Association and all of its members.

Order Thinking Film

• Click here to...

What is Making Movies Make Sense?

‘Making Movies Make Sense’ is an all-new interactive resource to help you run film viewing and filmmaking activities with children and young people.

Making Movies Make Sense shows you:

• What equipment you need
• The key principles: camera, lighting, sound and editing
• How to make a film step by step: planning, filming and editing
• Practical activities for classroom and out-of-school contexts
• What films to use

Making Movies Make Sense is illustrated with dozens of video clips and still images. The disc also...

Synergy Starter

Ask students to come up with as many ways that they can use synergy to sell a film. You can give them the genre / narrative, or get them to come up with this. Works best in small groups. Compare and add to one another’s ideas. See What is Synergy? for assistance.

Explore The Theory ICT

Give the students a range of film theories to explore. You can share these out amongst the group, or get them to focus on one a lesson so you can discuss it later. Examples include Post Colonialism, Marxism and Surrealism. See here for more...

A-Z of Films

Students are to think as many films as they can either for one letter: ‘A’ is for Amelie, American Pyscho. Or they have to think of one for A, then B etc.

Test Your Technical Knowledge

Show a music video and get the students to write down as many examples of a moving image technique:

• Camerawork
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise En Scene
• Special Effects

As music videos are about 3 minutes long, you have time for them to discuss/ share their thoughts as a class.

A Mix Up

Using key words, jumble up the words and get students to write...

In both the exam and in the coursework, candidates will be asked to study English Language Texts. They are NOT able to study the same texts for both sections and will prepare for this in different ways. For example, the coursework will act as a catalyst for their creative work in their portfolios. In the exam, students will have part of a two hour exam to answer a specific (unseen) question on an aspect of the film.

Both the coursework and examination texts will have shared aspects. This is mainly the understanding of both the micro and...

AS WJEC FM2: Producers and Audience

For FM2, British and American Film each question is worth 40 marks, and there is 2.5 hours to answer three questions. The paper is made up from resource material and 12 page answer book. Candidates are asked to explore the relationship between film producers and audience.

The resource material can include:

• Home page of a fan website
• Table illustrating box office figures
• Poster of a film
• Front cover of a magazine
• Press release
• Cinema programme
• Blog extracts

Candidates will be asked to use the exam...

Paper 1 | Superhero Films Case Study | Thor

Synopsis

Earth

Puente Antiguo, New Mexico. Three astro-physicists are in the desert: Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings).

They are studying atmosphere disturbances and aurora.

When a lightning storm starts, they head quickly towards it in their van. The van hits a man and they stop.

The victim is a handsome, well built young man. He is not dead, but semi-conscious.

Asgard

A voiceover (Anthony Hopkins) describes a battle in 900 AD between...

Urban Stories | Power, Poverty & Conflict | Case Study 2 | La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz , 1995)

Synopsis

La Haine (Hate 1995, France) focuses on a single day in the lives of three twenty-something friends from immigrant families, living in an impoverished and multi-ethnic French housing project. The housing project, or la banlieues (ZUP - zone à urbaniser en priorité), hosts a riot after a young man is shot by a policeman. The film follows the young trio in the immediate aftermath of the riot. Vinz, who is Jewish, is filled with rage. He...

Paper 2 | Non-Hollywood Film

Synopsis

8 year old Bruno doesn’t have a care in the world as he pretends to be a plane flying through the streets of Berlin, on his way back from school. He is blissfully ignorant of the terror happening around him – Jewish families being rounded up and transported out of the city. When he returns home however, his family are preparing for a celebration. His father, Ralf, has received a promotion that means they must all leave the capital; a move that will change Bruno’s life forever.

At his new stately...