Legacy Resources

Welcome to Edusites Film’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 full day...

New Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Studies Case Studies

Please click on the live links below to view our completed film case studies. We will continue to add more studies as we receive them from our expert writers.

Copyright

• Because we are a non profit making, self financed, independent publishing company founded and run by teachers for teachers we take Copyright very seriously
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• When we are made aware that there is a breach of our copyright agreement we...

Initially ‘Saturday Movie Serials’ - e.g. Batman (1943) and Captain America (1944) - were successful with young audiences, but fundamentally Superhero Movies went into decline in the 1950s and 1960s, and did not pick up until much later. Occasional films like Batman (1966) with Adam West, borrowing from the success of the TV series, and Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik (1968) were exceptions, offering limited interest at the cinema.

With this in mind, it was not until Superman (in 1978) that the genre took off with the film scoring a critical and commercial. This is why...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Batman v Superman) is a 2016 blockbuster superhero movie produced by DC, and distributed by Warner Bros. From a marketing point of view (common question 3 in Paper 1) it is an attempt to compete with the most successful franchise in film history – Marvel Cinematic Universe, whose recent films have been distributed by the owner of the franchise, Disney Motion Picture Studios.

To simplify, Marvel and DC Comics were, and still are, competing superhero comic publishers who both have now...

Sites recommended by our subscribers

• http://www.scoop.it/t/film-studies-by-lee-clark
• https://vimeo.com/groups/35mmandrisdamburs
• http://www.theguardian.com/uk/film
• http://mustseefilmspodcast.com/
• http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/
• http://www.denofgeek.com/
• http://www.btchflcks.com/
• http://filtonfilmas.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://filtonfilma2.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://filtonfilm.blogspot.co.uk/

Section B: British Film Topics – British Film and Genre

To answer this question, students must show a detailed knowledge of a minimum of two films. This resource explores two contemporary British horror films and can be used in conjunction with the following other case studies and exemplars:

• British Film and Genre (Horror and Comedy)
• 28 Days Later Case Study
• The Wicker Man Case Study
• WJEC AS Film Studies FM2 Section B British Film Horror Exemplar

Past Exam Questions

Analysis of both films will cover all potential areas of exam questioning with the following questions...

Life, as no doubt we have all noticed, is for the most part rather more mundane and less predictable than that and films like Chungking Express seek to capture that ‘normality’. The real messages that the film is trying to convey about Hong Kong, its people, their relationships, globalisation and the apprehension felt in the run up to the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997 is told not through the traditional narrative structure but through the visual elements such as editing, camerawork and mise-en-scene and through the cacophony of sounds...

FM2 British and American Film Section C: US Cinema Comparative Study

For further details of assessment requirements and past Section C exam questions, please go to FilmEdu’s Gilda (1946) and L.A Confidential (1997) Comparative Case Study  and FilmEdu’s Minority Report and Blade Runner Comparative Study for other comparison resources.

Taxi Driver

Like No Country for Old Men, Taxi Driver is a film about nihilism – with 31 years between them both films have characters that reject underpinning established rules of law in pursuit of an ultimate individualism. Both films...

Across the varied and diverse ways in which a film text can encode and emphasise meanings and a specific viewpoint on or presentation of a subject, realism is a key aesthetic and formal choice and approach that has functioned as a key creative direction of so much western expression across literature and the visual arts. This resource, then, explores the characteristics of a particular film style that we call neorealism. It stems from post World War Two Italian cinema and its influence has been felt in cinemas around the world.

In exploring two films as our key texts in...

Overview

• Analysis of a 3-5 min Film Extract – Mise-en-Scene, Cinematography and Editing only: (30 Marks)
• Creative Project – Planning, Producing and Editing a 2 min approx. film sequence of between 10-25 shots (50 Marks)
• Reflective Analysis – (10 Marks)

Edusites Film recommends a logical time to introduce the FM1 coursework is in week 6, the second week in October, 1 week before the Half Term. By then, students will have learnt skills of textual analysis in regards to micro and macro features and be fully aware of the requirements of the subject (film analysis is a...

In this increasingly mobile age a significant amount of content is now delivered by mobile for mobile devices.

In this course the training will show you how to produce film content quickly and easily on mobile devices for a variety of different uses.

Programme Details

We can provide training to teachers or students or both in:

• Planning, Filming and Editing with mobile devices.

Our training can focus on specific skills such as:

• Organising and preparing content and shooting on mobile devices
• Using mobile devices for filming
• Sourcing and using equipment for making short...

An Analysis of Two Close Study Films

This resource analyses two close study films All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Far From Heaven (2002) in relation to the FM4 Spectatorship topic, Popular Film and Emotional Response while cross-referencing key points with Imitation of Life (1959). Todd Haynes’ 2002 American drama Far From Heaven makes clear intertextual references to Douglas Sirk’s 1955 and 1959 films All That Heaven Allows and Imitation of Life in terms of style and themes although arguably ‘paints’ using a broader, more contemporary ‘brush’ when...

Introducing our DVD & Book Resources for Film & Media

Editsense & Filmsense £69.00+VAT (30% off)

‘Editsense is a new approach to learning about film language and film-making’.

This is an interactive DVD with excellent, practical examples of film - perfect for teachers of moving image, be it English, Creative and Digital Media or Film Studies.

It has over fifty video examples and includes materials for the introduction and revision of film. There are no audio clips.

The site licence is now available for £69.00+VAT. This is a 30% discount from the original price of...

Superman (1978): First recognised, and globally successful superhero film of the modern era.

Marvel: American publisher of comic books, frequently pertaining to the superhero genre founded in 1939 e.g. Hulk, Thor, Fantastic Four, Spider-man, Iron Man and Wolverine. Disney acquired (bought and owned) Marvel in 2009.

Stan Lee: At age 92, Stan Lee is president and chairman of Marvel Comics and co-creator and writer of Spider-man, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and X-Men among others.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: An American franchise centered on the production of superhero...

Associated Resources

• Edusites Lesson Plan Template.docx

NB. Please note this is a suggested template, your school may require a different layout.

Length of Lesson (minutes): 60
Lesson Title: An Introduction to Bollywood as a National Cinema

Context

This lesson would be delivered in the first or second week after the Christmas break with the assumption that students are close to completing their FM3 projects – an understanding of World Cinema has been embedded but needs to be revisited at the start of the lesson before this specific, examined Section A: World Cinema...

Associated Resources

• Edusites Lesson Plan Template.docx

NB. Please note this is a suggested template, your school may require a different layout.

Length of Lesson (minutes): 60
Lesson Title: An Introduction to F633 Global Cinema and Critical Perspectives Section A: Messages and Values in Global Film

Context

This lesson would be delivered early in term one to embed the notion of non-English language global cinema and develop a critical approach to film analysis required for the whole of F633. Although exemplar texts will be used as stimulus and research sources identified,...

Associated Resources

• Edusites Lesson Plan Template.docx

NB. Please note this is a suggested template, your school may require a different layout.

Length of Lesson (minutes): 60
Lesson Title: An Introduction to the Film Industry

Context

This lesson would be delivered in the first week after induction of an AS Film Studies course, whether WJEC or OCR. It is a generic introduction to the core Film Studies concepts underpinning this academic subject.

Aims and Objectives

To introduce students to film production, distribution and exhibition (exchange) as areas of study,...

Associated Resources

• Edusites Lesson Plan Template.docx

NB: Please note this is a suggested template, your school may require a different layout.

Length of Lesson (minutes): 60
Lesson Title. An Introduction to World Cinema

Context

This lesson would be delivered between weeks 21-23, in April/May as a preparation for Paper 2: Exploring Film Outside of Hollywood. It is expected that pupils have not studied world cinema and are relatively unfamiliar with non-English language films at GCSE level, or English language films that explore key themes and issues.

Aims and...

Welcome to FilmEdu’s Film Studies Induction Resource – please find below suggested only ways of introducing WJEC and OCR AS Film Studies students, and also GCSE students to the study of Film. Schemes of Work and assessment deadlines are tight these days but there is always/should always be an Induction Week, or week and a half at the very start of the course when the students/pupils can grapple with the fundamentals of the subject.

What is Film Studies?

In one sentence, write down what you think Film Studies is all about and pass your definition on to the person next...

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FM2 Section B: British Film Topics – British Film and Culture

When we use the term ’British film and culture’ we are stating, or at least implying a connection between specific films and how they are partly, and in significant ways the product of a wider national cultural discourse and identity. In this context, a film can contribute to the way that a nation communicates messages and values about itself. In terms of film, these messages and values find expression in both the micro and macro elements of a film narrative.

In this resource...

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FilmEdu recommend that AS-A2 Transition is introduced on or around 18th May 2015, after FM2 examined unit is complete and after FM1 coursework has been assessed with the marks submitted to WJEC. For centres whose students stay on until the end of term, this means a valuable 8 weeks of study that can potentially mean the difference between grades in terms of final assessment.

During this period, students should enjoy, as much as expand their understanding of film culture - this is reflected in the range of activities. FilmEdu also offer during...

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FM4 Section C Single Film - Critical Study

The whole film can be watched here.

In 2010, The Guardian newspaper published a story entitled “Algeria (national football squad) prepare for World Cup battle by watching The Battle of Algiers.”. Given the centrality of football to our contemporary popular culture, this incident might offer some suggestion of the cyclical power of cultural discourse and the transmission of a given film text’s thematic content in terms of the process of how it is decoded and appropriated by particular audiences at...

FM2: British and American Film ‘How to Respond to Section A - Producers and Audiences: Resource Items’

This resource examines approaches to Section A of FM2 in terms of areas of questioning but specifically, how to respond to the range of stimulus WJEC could use, and expect students to refer to in Part A and Part B of the resource items.

The section title, ‘Producers and Audiences’ is important in letting students know the type of response expected in the exam – an equal engagement with both film producers and film audience is expected in both questions (there will...

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FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates Section C: Single Film – Critical Study

Introduction

Happy Together is a feature film directed by Wong Kar-wai. It was released in 1997, the year that Hong Kong’s governance from Britain ended and governance from China began. The fact that Happy Together begins with passports being stamped might well resonate with Hong Kong audiences particularly with when the film was released. We might suggest that a passport is a very tangible symbol of national identity. The film is encoded...[ read full article ] »

Associated Resources

• WJEC AS Level Film Studies FM2 Exemplar Resource Material A.docx
• WJEC AS Level Film Studies FM2 Exemplar Resource Material B.docx

Instructions

• Section A refers to the resource material (see associated resources)
• This is a Section A exemplar only
• Each question carries 40 marks
• You are reminded that assessment will take into account the quality of written communication used in your answers

Section A:  Producers and Audiences

EITHER:

1. Study the items in Part A of the resource material which includes the logo of Working Title Films (UK) and Universal...

Introduction

One of the most interesting ways to engage with genre is to select two films from the same genre and compare and contrast them. Critically, select two films produced in significantly different time periods and places - by doing this kind of analytical exercise we’re able to go some distance in identifying some of the ways in which a genre evolves.

Science fiction film certainly seems to offer a particularly rich case study in terms of what kinds of ideas texts can be encoded with how we, as the audience (in our own particular times and places) can then...

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There are key areas of study that WJEC recommend are explored for FM4 Section C – Solaris, and they are as follows:

• As a philosophical film about identity and memory

• The role and function of Hari

• The undemonstrative character of Kris and the reasons for this

• Issues of representation in relation to conventions of the Sci-Fi genre

• The significance of the earth sequences – including the emphasis on nature
• The overall pace and length of the film

• Spectatorship issues related to the above and to narrative development

• The film as...

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FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates Section C: Single Film – Critical Study

Introduction

Lynne Ramsay, the director of the film Morvern Callar has made the valuable observation that “I love to see great dialogue in the cinema but I hate to see ‘Film TV’. When I go to the cinema I want to have a cinematic experience….I like dialogue when it’s used in a way where the body language says the complete opposite…” [1] Ramsay’s emphasis on the importance of the non-verbal is highly relevant in relation to Morvern...

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This WJEC A2 Film Studies dedicated, interactive workshop, offered both as a full or half day option provides a platform for further study in relation to FM4 Section C: Single Film – Critical Study. It is expected that centres will inform FilmEdu of their chosen film available for study so that the half day, or full day workshop will be dedicated to that specific text. We can guarantee an expert on each available text to ensure assessment requirements, and all areas of questioning are covered.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs from...

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Documentary, of all genres has a profound impact on spectatorship. This dedicated, interactive WJEC A2 Film Studies Section B: Spectatorship topic explores historical and contemporary genre pieces from Vertov’s Man With a Movie Camera through to Senna, Grizzly Man and Marley ensuring that key theories e.g. the work of Dr Bill Nichols are incorporated. It is expected centres will inform Edusites Film of their chosen texts so the session can be bespoke to their needs.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs from £300
• Full Day (6 Hours...

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This WJEC A2 Film Studies dedicated, interactive workshop, offered both as a full or half day option provides a platform for further study in relation to the FM4 Section A: World Cinema, International Film Styles topic. It is expected that centres will inform Edusites Film of their chosen topic/topics, whether German Cinema, Soviet Cinema, Surrealism, Neo Realism or New Wave options so the session can be precisely tailored to the needs of the centre. We can guarantee an expert in each field of study.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs...

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This WJEC AS Film Studies dedicated, interactive workshop, offered both as a full or half day option provides a platform for further study in relation to FM1 Section B: British Film Topics. It is expected that centres will inform FilmEdu of their chosen topic/topics so the session can be precisely tailored to their needs.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs from £300
• Full Day (6 Hours Contact Time): costs from £450
• Travel and printing fees are also applicable, where appropriate. The workshop rate may vary depending on location

Booking...

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Our full or half day interactive, visually stimulating workshops introduce pupils/students to the skills of textual analysis. We will provide a range of mainstream and independent examples to encourage and develop an understanding of film language from mise-en-scene through to cinematography, editing and sound.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs from £300
• Full Day (6 Hours Contact Time): costs from £450
• Travel and printing fees are also applicable, where appropriate. The workshop rate may vary depending on location

Booking & Contact...

Introduction

In this section of the exam you will get a choice of one question from two – an absolute must is that you compare and contrast two films, either from the same genre or that both deal with a specific theme. Genre, narrative and representation are key areas of study - see below examples of past questions:

1. How far do the American films you have studied convey key themes in similar ways?
2. How far is the representation of characters in the American films you have studied influenced by the times in which the films were made?
3. Discuss some of the similarities and...

FM4: Varieties of Film Experience – Issues and Debates Section C: Single Film – Critical Study

Section C of FM4 offers students the ability to engage in a critical study of a single film, within a synoptic framework – this means the micro and the macro features need to be studied, as well as issues of representation. Useful will be placing the film in an institutional and cultural context in reference to production, funding distribution, audience, audience reception but also genre and narrative. WJEC do provide, on request a short Reader on each film with a number...

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Sample Questions

• How far does cinematic style support themes and ideas in the films you have studied for this topic?
• Discuss how far the development of your chosen international film style can be seen as the work of particular creative individuals?
• Discuss characteristic features of casting and/or performance, exploring how far these features contribute the overall effect of the films you have studied.
• What is the relationship between visual style and the subject matter of the films you have studied?

WJEC Say

“This topic focuses on the...

The following theorists represent a selection of film theorists (from many) whose work can be cited in both A Level Film Studies coursework and external assessment, for both WJEC and OCR. For example, OCR Film Studies Section B F633 suggests: “candidates are encouraged to engage with critical frameworks relevant to the topic area” e.g. Film Regulation, Authorship and Film and Audience Experience while WJEC Film Studies FM4 states that students should: “apply key concepts and critical approaches gained throughout the course to explore film in a synoptic manner”.

In...

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By comparing the cinematic styles used in the films you have studied for this topic, is it possible to identify a distinctive ‘National Cinema’?

Indian cinema means different things to different people and there are a lot of different cinematic styles originating from the Indian subcontinent. Stereotypically, when western audiences without cultural capital or knowledge think of Indian films the iconic name ‘Bollywood’ comes to mind, or less widely known outside of India, as Hindi films. Bollywood films have come to represent a national...

The purpose of this unit is to assess students’ ability to independently research, investigate and analyse a film based topic and present the findings; secondly, to assess the students’ application of knowledge and understanding to the planning and construction of a creative realisation; and finally, to assess candidate’s application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating their own work.

1. Research

• Independent Research Project: 40 marks
• Planning: evidence of planning for a filmed sequence within the field of Film Studies: 10 marks

2. Creative Realisation

• A...

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Understanding the relationship between the micro and the macro elements of a film is an essential part of our analysis of movies. Every shot, every sound accumulates to form the expression of an idea. Thinking about movies in this way might prompt us to acknowledge that a camera move for example, can express a character’s psychology, sometimes more forcefully and memorably than a line of dialogue could ever do. In the opening scene of Vertigo (1958) as the film’s protagonist Scottie looks down from a great height during a chase, a camera move...

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Introduction

Lynne Ramsay’s film Ratcatcher is a key British production of the late 1990s and is notable for its thoughtful and sensitive focus on the representation of a young person. The film explores the representation of childhood, guilt and atonement in a dysfunctional environment. Although on the paper 2, GCSE list of films, Vicky LeBeau’s analysis of the narrative and ideological function that children typically embody in movies can apply when she writes that:

“Closer to the state of infancy, an infans (literally, without language)...

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F633: Global Cinema and Critical Perspectives

F634: Creative Investigations in Film

This scheme provides a basic outline, in terms of structure and timescales over the period of one academic year – it is expected throughout the year that teachers will generate their own additional resources and materials.  Edusites Film have suggested only a research investigation for F634 and have recommended only that Film Regulation and Classification be studied for F633 Section B – centres may/may not find they have time to teach two topics, e.g. Film and...

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Our full or half day workshops explore the concept of ‘World Cinema’ – what it is and what it means using a range of examples from Japanese, Bollywood, Mexican and Iranian Cinema. Key texts will be explored to help pupils/students understand the global nature of film production, distribution and consumption.

Cost

• Half Day (3 Hours Contact Time): costs from £300
• Full Day (6 Hours Contact Time): costs from £450
• Travel and printing fees are also applicable, where appropriate. The workshop rate may vary depending on location

Booking &...

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The first image that we see in Modern Times is of a clock - a symbol of the workplace and productivity as Chaplin’s Little Tramp struggles in the modern, industrialised world of which he is so critical during the time of the Great Depression, see more on that here. As such the image is emblematic of the entire film. Modern Times is a silent film comedy that is as ideologically rich and meaningful as a wide range of far more ‘serious’ dramas about ‘serious’ subjects; as evidenced by films such as Schindler’s List (1993) and 12 Years A...

FilmEdu and MediaEdu writer, James Clarke, sees the publication of his new book this June. Entitled Bodies in Heroic Motion: The Cinema of James Cameron the project is published by Columbia University Press imprint Wallflower Press.

“The very first writing that I had published in print about movies was with Wallflower Press, back in 2001, so this is a really welcome ‘full circle’ moment for me.” James explains. “The new book, I think, is written to be accessible to undergraduates and whilst it’s definitely a ‘Film Studies’ title I think it might also be of...

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In this resource we will consider the film Talk To Her (2002) and explore some aspects of its film style, by which we mean the choices made by the filmmakers in their deployment of sound and visual elements in the construction of the narrative. As such, we are considering how storytelling devices express a range of meanings and values embodied within the drama. Talk To Her offers an opportunity for us to think about how film (and non Hollywood films, particularly) might have more opportunity than the Hollywood-produced film (typically conservative...

Associated Resources

• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Mock Exam Paper 1 A Grade Response 2013.docx
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 A-B Exemplar The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.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
• WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 1 A-B Grade Response Summer 2014.docx

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In this resource we will consider the film Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) and explore some aspects of its film style, by which we mean the choices made the filmmakers in terms of how they deploy sound and vision. As such, we are considering the storytelling devices with which the film expresses a range of meanings and values embodied within the drama.

Through the way that the stylistic choices of the film’s producers’ (writer/director/producer/actors/camera/sound/music) function we are able to determine a range of themes and issues in the film...

Associated Resources

• Lesson Plan.docx

Ofsted Inspections: What Makes An Outstanding Lesson?

For many teachers the anxiety and worry of being observed is all too real. With new government initiatives such as the fact that pay is linked to performance, and the new Ofsted Framework (2012) breathing down our necks, it could enhance these worries and fears even more. It was therefore thought that it will be helpful to provide some guidance in terms of what makes an outstanding lesson. I was fortunate enough to participate in a project where we looked into whether videoing can...

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The Making of Harry Potter trip can be described as one of the most magical and exciting school trips I have ever undertaken with my AS Media Studies group in June 2013. Students arrived at the studios where Harry Potter was produced just after 11:00, and the process was slick and organised. Tickets were reserved and we were even moved forward in the queue to go in. (In any teacher’s book this is fantastic service.)The two studios were aptly named J and K, and the main entrance was at J where we were met by massive posters, and images of the...