A Level Film

GCSE Film

IB Film

Film Genre

Film Production

Film Theory

Film Library

Useful Materials

Viewing entries from category: Key Concepts

The Wave Case Study »

jclarke | Thursday March 10, 2022

Categories: Drama, Thriller, GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Introduction Exploring films that have been produced outside of those made and distributed globally by the Hollywood film studios offers us an exciting opportunity to broaden our horizons: in terms of storytelling (the way of telling, or organizing the elements of a story), the stories themselves become of broader interest in other cultures and their cinemas. Watching films from around the world, rather than only those made by American and British film producers is an…
[ read full article ] »

Tsotsi Case Study »

Rob Miller | Sunday January 23, 2022

Categories: Drama, Crime, World Cinema, GCSE, Hot Entries, Tsotsi, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

Clips Tsotsi Opening Sequence Tsotsi End Sequence Further Reading Studying Tsotsi: Judith Gunn (Auteur Publishing) Awards Best Foreign Language Film - 2006 Academy Awards Institutional Factors and Representation of People, Places, Events and Issues Tsotsi (urban slang – thug) is a film based on a novel by Athol Fugard set in the impoverished township of Soweto, Johannesburg in South Africa – Fugard is best known for his plays with political narratives opposing the historical South…
[ read full article ] »

German Cinema | Expressionism »

jclarke | Thursday September 13, 2018

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Metropolis, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Posters, Film Poster Analysis, Key Concepts

European Cinema History: German Cinema of the 1920s Introduction One of the most rewarding aspects of Film Studies is to be found in recognising how films produced at one, quite distant moment in time often made long ago, continue to influence more contemporary films with which we might all be more familiar. This is certainly true of the impact of some examples of German cinema produced in the 1920s. If you watch Edward Scissorhands (1990), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Bringing out the…
[ read full article ] »

Eduqas WJEC Set Films »

Richard Gent | Thursday March 01, 2018

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Key Concepts

Click to see our Revision Part 1: Knowledge Organisers The exam reports from the Summer 2018 AS exams identified areas for development which may well be similar for the A Level students taking the exam this summer. I certainly identified with some of the issues as they were very similar to ones I had seen on the student attempts at the Mock exams. A knowledge organiser (KO) sets out the important, useful and powerful knowledge on a topic on a single page. Linked below are Knowledge Organisers…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 Set Films »

Richard Gent | Tuesday February 27, 2018

Categories: OCR A Level, World Cinema, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Key Concepts

Click to see our Revision Part 1: Knowledge Organisers The exam reports from the Summer 2018 AS exams identified areas for development which may well be similar for the A Level students taking the exam this summer. I certainly identified with some of the issues as they were very similar to ones I had seen on the student attempts at the Mock exams. A knowledge organiser (KO) sets out the important, useful and powerful knowledge on a topic on a single page. Linked below are Knowledge Organisers…
[ read full article ] »

Looking for Free A Level Film Resources? »

Richard Gent | Monday September 11, 2017

Categories: Cinematography, OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Film Industry, Key Skills, Mise-en-Scene, Genre, Narrative, Editing, Pre-Production, Planning, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

Would you like to see an example of an A Level Film Lesson from Edusites Film? Below is a link to a single lesson online slide show focusing on Cinematography using The Bourne Identity. The Cinematography lesson from both the teacher guide (scheme of learning) and student workbook are below to illustrate the breadth and depth of the resources being published on Edusites Film. Film Representation Unit 2 Lesson 17: 12 Slides For fast and optimum viewing use Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer…
[ read full article ] »

Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ Workbook Student »

Barry Rainsford | Sunday January 24, 2016

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Key Skills, Film Analysis, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

Copyright © 2017 Edusites. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use within the subscribing school only. Copying or lending of any part of this document in any form or by any means to external bodies and / or individuals is prohibited.This is the Second A Level Unit To Film Students This booklet is to support you in your preparation for the A Level Film Studies Examination Papers 1 and 2 and the Non-Examination Assessment. This workbook comprises the theory and…
[ read full article ] »

Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 16-26 »

Barry Rainsford | Sunday January 24, 2016

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Key Skills, Film Analysis, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-15 Lesson Sixteen: Ideology Slides 1-9 Objectives Knowledge : To review understanding of the film framework Learning : To build ideas and strategies of how to study film Understanding : To link knowledge and learning by completing analysis tasks Starter/Loop Activity (5 Minutes) Slide 2 Task 16A Students asked to respond to the task from the Lesson Resource: Analysis of Bonnie and Clyde still.…
[ read full article ] »

Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-15 »

Barry Rainsford | Sunday January 24, 2016

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Key Skills, Film Analysis, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation Eduqas (WJEC) 603 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 16-26 This is the Second A Level Unit The purpose of this unit is not to tell anyone ‘what you must do’ or ‘this is the way that you must do it’. The work here is based on over twenty years of teaching Film Studies at A Level in a very large (2,500 pupils) urban comprehensive in what was once described as one of the most deprived areas in the UK. It is based both on my own teaching and in…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 16-26 »

Richard Gent | Monday January 18, 2016

Categories: OCR A Level, A Level, Key Skills, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation OCR H410 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-15 Lesson Sixteen: Ideology Slides 1-9 Objectives Knowledge : To review understanding of the film framework Learning : To build ideas and strategies of how to study film Understanding : To link knowledge and learning by completing analysis tasks Starter/Loop Activity (5 Minutes) Slide 2 Task 16A Students asked to respond to the task from the Lesson Resource: Analysis of Bonnie and Clyde still. Students to…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-15 »

Barry Rainsford | Monday January 18, 2016

Categories: OCR A Level, A Level, Key Skills, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation OCR H410 A Level Film Unit 2 Film Representation+ SOL Teacher Lessons 16-26 This is the Second A Level Unit The purpose of this unit is not to tell anyone ‘what you must do’ or ‘this is the way that you must do it’. The work here is based on over twenty years of teaching Film Studies at A Level in a very large (2,500 pupils) urban comprehensive in what was once described as one of the most deprived areas in the UK. It is based both on my own teaching and in leading…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 A Level Film Studies Unit 1 Film Language+ Workbook Student »

Barry Rainsford | Sunday October 04, 2015

Categories: OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Film Language, Key Concepts

Copyright © 2017 Edusites. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use within the subscribing school only. Copying or lending of any part of this document in any form or by any means to external bodies and / or individuals is prohibited.This is the First A Level Unit To Film Students This booklet is to support you in your preparation for the A Level Film Studies Examination Papers 1 and 2 and the Non-Examination Assessment. This notebook comprises the theory and…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 A Level Film Studies Unit 1 Film Language+ SOL Teacher Lessons 15-25 »

Barry Rainsford | Saturday October 03, 2015

Categories: OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Film Language, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation OCR H410 A Level Film Studies Unit 1 Film Language+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-14 Lesson Fifteen: Narrative Slides 1-15 Objectives Knowledge : To develop ideas about how sound constructs mood and tone Learning : To evolve higher level ideas of how to study film through its products Understanding: To develop understanding by completing analysis of products Starter/Loop Activity (5 minutes) Resource Pack Slide 2 Task 15A Pupils asked to respond to the task from the Lesson Resource:…
[ read full article ] »

OCR H410 A Level Film Studies Unit 1 Film Language+ SOL Teacher Lessons 1-14 »

Barry Rainsford | Tuesday September 29, 2015

Categories: OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Film Language, Key Concepts

Guide Navigation OCR H410 A Level Film Studies Unit 1 Film Language+ SOL Teacher Lessons 15-25 This is the First A Level Unit The purpose of this unit is not to tell anyone ‘what you must do’ or ‘this is the way that you must do it’. The work here is based on over twenty years of teaching Film Studies at A Level in a very large (2,500 pupils) urban comprehensive in what was once described as one of the most deprived areas in the UK. It is based both on my own teaching and in leading…
[ read full article ] »

International Film Styles: Neorealism »

jclarke | Friday September 04, 2015

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Production Companies, World Cinema, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

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…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC AS Film Studies FM1 Exploring Film Form Scheme »

Rob Miller | Thursday July 16, 2015

Categories: Cinematography, EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, Micro Analysis, A Level, Hot Entries, Key Skills, Mise-en-Scene, Macro Analysis, Up, Gravity, Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shining, Skyfall, Genre, Narrative, Editing, Pre-Production, Planning, Production Zone, Shot Analysis, Moving Image Production, Film Analysis, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Analysis, Film Opening Analysis, Key Concepts

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…
[ read full article ] »

Popular Film & Emotional Response: All That Heaven Allows & Far From Heaven »

Rob Miller | Wednesday July 01, 2015

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Analysis, Key Concepts

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…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC GCSE Superhero Glossary of Terms »

Rob Miller | Thursday April 16, 2015

Categories: GCSE, Hot Entries, Film Language, Genres & Case Studies, Superhero, Key Concepts

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…
[ read full article ] »

The Battle of Algiers (1966) Case Study »

Rob Miller | Wednesday October 29, 2014

Categories: OCR A Level, Drama, Crime, History, War, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5Pz8KJeU4 Copyright © 2018 Edusites. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use within the subscribing school only. Copying or lending of any part of this document in any form or by any means to external bodies and / or individuals is prohibited. In 2010, The Guardian newspaper published a story entitled “Algeria (national football squad) prepare for World Cup battle by watching The Battle of Algiers.?.…
[ read full article ] »

Recommended A2 Film Studies Theorists »

Rob Miller | Monday September 15, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, Theory, OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, OCR A2, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Representation, Key Concepts

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…
[ read full article ] »

F634: Creative Investigation in Film Guide »

jclarke | Tuesday September 02, 2014

Categories: OCR A Level, OCR A2, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Marketing, Audience, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Posters, Film Poster Analysis, Key Concepts

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. ResearchIndependent Research Project: 40 marks Planning: evidence of planning for a filmed…
[ read full article ] »

Vertigo (Hitchcock 1958) Case Study »

jclarke | Monday August 18, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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…
[ read full article ] »

Ratcatcher Case Study »

jclarke | Thursday July 10, 2014

Categories: Drama, GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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…
[ read full article ] »

Modern Times Case Study (Chaplin 1936) »

jclarke | Monday May 19, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Drama, Comedy, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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’…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC A2 FM4 Section C Single Film Critical Study | Talk To Her - Almodovar, 2002 »

jclarke | Friday May 09, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Drama, Comedy, Romance, World Cinema, Talk To Her, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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)…
[ read full article ] »

Rabbit Proof Fence Case Study »

jclarke | Wednesday April 16, 2014

Categories: Drama, Adventure, GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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)…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC AS/A2 Film Studies Suspension of Disbelief Believing in Make Believe »

Emily Hughes | Tuesday March 18, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, Theory, EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, Spectatorship Theory, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Language, Representation, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge The movies: flickering images running past our eyes at 24 frames per second. They have the power to make us cry, make us sit on the edge of our seat, exhilarate and infuriate but how? The narratives that unfold in front of us are products, made up stories. The events we see on screen are just actors pretending to be other people, increasingly a lot of what we see is so devoid of reality that it is created on a computer through CGI, it’s all just make believe. So…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC AS Film Studies FM2 Section B British Film Julie Christie Exemplar A »

karenardouin | Monday March 17, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Section B: British Film Topics Choose one question from this section. British Film and Stars You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following: Julie Christie or Ewan McGregor. 5. What are the star qualities that your star brings to the roles they play in your chosen films? [40]Example Answer The big five studios were vertically integrated during the Hollywood Studio era from 1930 to 1948. They not only owned the…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC AS Film Studies FM2 Section B British Film Julie Christie Exemplar C »

karenardouin | Monday March 17, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Section B: British Film Topics Choose one question from this section. British Film and Stars You should discuss a minimum of two British films in your answer and base it on one of the following: Julie Christie or Ewan McGregor. 5. What are the star qualities that your star brings to the roles they play in your chosen films? [40] Example Answer Stars have much more freedom today, as they used to be part of a 7-year contract under the Hollywood Studio system that ended…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC AS Film Studies FM2 British and American Film Exemplar »

karenardouin | Monday March 17, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, British Film, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Answer three questions – one from each section Section A – Producers and Audiences Study the items in Part B of the resource material, which include:Poster for Cowboys & Aliens, released in 2011 Extract from a blog discussing film genre Forum discussion on movie genres. Use this material, together with your own studies, to answer the following question: How important is genre for audiences and producers? [40 marks] Item 1: Poster for Cowboys and Aliens,…
[ read full article ] »

Bollywood 1990 - Present »

Rob Miller | Friday March 14, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge WJEC A2 Film Studies FM4 Section A World Cinema: Aspects of National Cinema This section of FM4 Section A: World Cinema does not require a comprehensive study of the period as long as there is some significance in the films chosen, and their relationship to the national cinema to which they belong. It is expected two principal films will be chosen, supplemented by briefer reference to one or two other films. As such, this resource (not an exemplar exam response) will…
[ read full article ] »

Messages and Values in Global Cinema »

Rob Miller | Friday March 14, 2014

Categories: OCR A Level, OCR A2, Drama, Action, History, Fantasy, Romance, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

OCR A2 Film Studies Unit F633: Global Cinema and Critical Perspectives Section A: Messages and Values in Global Cinema click on image to enlarge The study of “two contrasting non-English language texts that derive from different countries of origin?: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China, Honk Kong, Taiwan) 2000 Russian Ark (Russia, Germany) 2002 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Both films, one a Wuxia martial arts/romance hybrid and the other a historical drama-documentary provide audiences…
[ read full article ] »

Superhero Film Codes and Conventions »

Rob Miller | Thursday March 13, 2014

Categories: GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Genres & Case Studies, Superhero, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 1 Superhero Film Codes and Conventions It was not until Superman in 1978 that the superhero film genre took off with the film securing critical and commercial success and for many years creating a genre template. This is why when we talk about historical examples of the genre it is difficult to cite examples before 1978 as in terms of cinema the genre has only featured broadly since the late 1970s. Yes, you could talk about Batman on…
[ read full article ] »

The Devil’s Backbone Case Study »

jclarke | Thursday March 06, 2014

Categories: Drama, Horror, GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Exploring Film Outside Hollywood: The Devil’s Backbone (2001 – Spain/Mexico) Introduction In his book The Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim writes that “The deep inner conflicts originating in our primitive drives and our violent emotions are all denied in much of children’s literature, and so the child is not helped in coping with them. But the child is subject to desperate feelings of loudness and isolation, and often experiences mortal anxiety.? [1]…
[ read full article ] »

Iranian Cinema »

jclarke | Thursday March 06, 2014

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, World Cinema, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge WJEC A2 Film Studies FM4 Section A World Cinema Aspects of a National Cinema: Iranian Cinema 1990 - Present Introduction Let us start with a piece from what could serve as possible further reading beyond this resource as it suggests the complexity of the subject we are exploring: “for many pious families, going to the cinema was tantamount to committing a sin. The main reason for this was that cinematic representations of women and love upset the delicate dualism…
[ read full article ] »

Persepolis Case Study »

Amy Charlewood | Wednesday February 12, 2014

Categories: 1990 Onwards, Drama, GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Animation, Key Concepts

WJEC GCSE Film Studies Paper 2 Exploring Film Outside Hollywood: Persepolis (2007) Introduction and Synopsis Persepolis (2007) is based on a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi’s called The Complete Persepolis and is a coming-of-age memoir that tells of the author’s experiences growing up during and in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Persepolis was also adapted into a 2007 animated film of the same name, written and directed by Satrapi along with Vincent Paronnaud. …
[ read full article ] »

Julie Christie: British Film and Stars »

jclarke | Tuesday February 11, 2014

Categories: Theory, Film Theory, EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, British Film, Production Companies, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge While we often first think and refer to contemporary examples of film stars when we study film, it’s useful and valuable to consider film stars whose work has featured across several decades. More specifically for us as British audiences, it’s of particular interest to consider British film stars both in terms of the interest of their performances, and also in terms of how these performances offer representations of national identity and gender in combination.…
[ read full article ] »

WJEC GCSE Film Studies Controlled Assessment Unit 2: Exploring and Creating »

Rob Miller | Friday February 07, 2014

Categories: GCSE, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Language, Representation, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Students need to produce one Film Exploration and one Production broken into: Film Exploration (must be the same film for both tasks) Industry Research: 10 Marks Micro Analysis: 20 Marks Production Pitch: 10 Marks Pre Production: 20 Marks Production: 30 Marks Evaluative Analysis: 10 Marks Total: 100 Marks:  50% of GCSE NB. The Controlled Assessmentmust not be based on the examined topic, 2013-2015: The Superhero Genre. WJEC say: “The work is designed to draw on…
[ read full article ] »

Moving Image Technical and Symbolic Codes »

Richard Gent | Monday January 13, 2014

Categories: Micro Analysis, Shot Analysis, Film Analysis, Film Language, Analysis, Key Concepts

Semiotic terminology applied to moving image media. Semiotics/Semiology The study of signs that help us to deconstruct film e.g. Technical and Symbolic Codes in Film Technical Codes Constructed codes e.g. Camera angle, types of shot, types of edit, type of lens, SFX, Sound, Framing, Focus Symbolic Codes Cultural Representations – in film the mise en scene can be described as symbolic codes ie they ‘stand’ for something Mise En Scene The Mise en Scene comprises – setting, objects and…
[ read full article ] »

British Film and Genre »

Richard Gent | Wednesday December 04, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, British Film, Horror, Production Companies, Comedy, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge The British Film Industry is successful and thriving but as Jill Nelmes identified in An Introduction to Film Studies can be defined on a number or levels and by a range of “disparate films, genres and movements?. In addition to this there are arguments over what is a British Film and as such, there have been many attempts to define British Film over the years. A useful definition that the BFI proposed in 1996 was that films could be described and culturally…
[ read full article ] »

Film and Thatcher’s Britain »

jclarke | Tuesday December 03, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, Sport, Drama, History, Comedy, Romance, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge One of the key issues to be explored in our study of film is that of representation. As such, it’s fair to say that there’s an established, and largely agreed upon, understanding that film, like other media and forms of cultural expression, can reflect back to us aspects of the conditions in which we live or have lived with. Certainly, there’s scope for us to think about how British cinema has, in more or less ‘obvious’ ways, reflected back to us a point of…
[ read full article ] »

The Impact of World War Two on British Cinema »

jclarke | Tuesday December 03, 2013

Categories: OCR A Level, Drama, War, Production Companies, Romance, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge World War Two impacted ferociously on Great Britain: cities were attacked by German bombers, air battles were fought and daily life was severely tested over the six years of conflict. It’s understandable though, if the war seems a long, long time ago to you. Cinema, however, offers us a meaningful way to reconnect with, and reflect on the event and to develop a sense of the relationship between World War Two and British cinema. Attendance at cinemas was acutely…
[ read full article ] »

Spectatorship and Early Cinema Before 1917 »

jclarke | Saturday November 30, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, Theory, OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, OCR A2, Production Companies, Spectatorship Theory, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Cinema is now nearly 120 years old and it’s a magnificently broad, deep, complex and exciting subject. It’s understandably easy to think that the way films are now is how they have always been, in terms of their technology and particularly how they organize (tell) their stories. However, this isn’t the case and so it’s important for us to be aware that all forms of cultural expression evolve across time and that they are subject to many influences, intended or…
[ read full article ] »

Developments in 21st Century Cinema and Film (2000-Present) »

jclarke | Wednesday November 27, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, OCR A2, EDUQAS AS, Production Companies, World Cinema, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Censorship & Regulation, Film Marketing, Film Publicity, Audience, Film Promotion, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Film is technology. It’s an obvious point, and an essential one. Film established itself as a symbol of the modern, mechanical age of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and so it is particularly interesting to now witness how the medium is moving into the digital age. Indeed, we should perhaps talk not of new technology but of now technology because it is so quickly ever changing and evolving. In Western Europe we live in an increasingly digital and…
[ read full article ] »

Aspects of National Cinema: Japanese Cinema »

jclarke | Monday November 25, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Production Companies, Japanese, World Cinema, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge WJEC A2 Film Studies FM4 Section A World Cinema: Aspects of National Cinema Japanese cinema can be understood as a major presence in the international film style context, not only in terms of its own achievement but also for the influence it has exerted on cinema far beyond its borders.  It’s a national cinema with a very specific set of concerns and stylistic traits and with a number of particular contexts that allow the film texts to be understood in all the…
[ read full article ] »

Spectatorship Experimental/Expanded Film: Meshes of the Afternoon & Tarnation »

Amy Charlewood | Tuesday November 19, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, Theory, EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, Experimental, Avant-Garde, Documentary, Spectatorship Theory, Cinema Verite, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge Definition and Introduction As one might expect the term experimental cinema is difficult to define clearly and by its very nature avoids simplistic categorisation. Within the movement itself there has been frequent debate over its definition. Fred Camper discusses experimental film-makers such as Peter Kubelka and Stan Brackage who questioned titles like ‘Avant-garde’ for suggesting experimental cinema is intrinsically European, ‘different…
[ read full article ] »

Film and Audience Experience »

jclarke | Wednesday November 13, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, OCR A Level, EDUQAS A Level, OCR A2, EDUQAS AS, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Key Concepts

Everyone seems to enjoy talking about movies. Why is that? Not everyone enjoys talking about sport or politics or literature or cookery or healthcare for example. The variety of movies we talk about is diverse. Films are made to be watched by audiences. It’s the most obvious fact to state but it does remind us of a set of fundamental concerns. This resource will concern itself with a number of issues that you can also revisit in more detailed in several of our other FilmEdu resources. For…
[ read full article ] »

Popular Film & Emotional Response: How Film Produces Emotional Responses »

jclarke | Monday November 11, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, A Level, Hot Entries, Audience, Film Language, Representation, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge All films manipulate audiences and this is one fundamental reasons why we choose to watch a film. It is because we want to experience a change in our emotional condition - we may want to be provoked into laughter, tension, sadness, fear or happiness. One of the key issues underpinning our exploration of film and the experience of an emotional response to it is the understanding that emotions can be argued to be culturally formed. Chris Barker writes “Emotions are not…
[ read full article ] »

Popular Film & Emotional Response: Understanding Emotional Responses »

vikiwalden | Monday March 25, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A2, EDUQAS A Level, Science Fiction, Drama, Action, Crime, History, Comedy, Romance, Thriller, World Cinema, A Level, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Hollywood Films, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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…
[ read full article ] »

Living with Crime »

jclarke | Friday March 22, 2013

Categories: EDUQAS A Level, EDUQAS AS, Social Realism, British Film, Crime, Production Companies, Thriller, A Level, Film Industry, Hot Entries, Film Distribution, Audience, Film Analysis, Film Language, Representation, Films & Case Studies, Non-Hollywood Films, Genres & Case Studies, Analysis, Independent, Key Concepts

click on image to enlarge 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). click on image to enlarge 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…
[ read full article ] »