Outline of teh WJEC AS Film Studies course as taught at Thurston Community College

1. Introduction to Film
Studies
What will you be learning?
How will you be assessed

2. What are you top five favourite
films of all time?
• You have five mins to think of your five favourites
• Write them down and be prepared to share them with the
class
• Use the ‘Movies to See Before You Die’ to help. Think about
what other movies should be on the list (and why)
• Miss Hill’s Top Five
• LOTR
• Psycho
• The Dark Knight
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• Blade Runner

3. What movie character would
you most like to be?

4. How many of these films have
you seen?
• 100 Movie Spoilers in five minutes

5. Key Information
WJEC AS GCE in Film Studies
The two year course of made up of 4 Units.
FM1 – Exploring Film Form
FM2 – British and American Film
FM3 – Film Research and Creative Projects
FM4 – Varieties of Film Experience
– Issues and Debates

6. Assessments
FM1 – Internal Assessment made up of two parts.
Worth 20% (40%), 80 marks
FM2 – External Assessment made up of three
sections (2 ½ hour). Worth 30% (60%),120 marks
FM3 – Internal Assessment made up of two parts.
Worth 25%, 100 marks
FM4 – External Assessment made up of three
sections(2 ¾ hour). Worth 25%, 100 marks

7. FM 1 – Exploring Film Form
• Part One – Learning the language of film and how directors
use the micro element of film to communicate with the
audience
• You get to pick your favourite film and analysis in depth one key
scene
• Trainspotting, Black Swan, Halloween, Snatch, The Empire Strikes
Back, Sweeny Todd, Hellboy,
• Part Two – Practical Project (applying knowledge from Part
One)
• A Short Film
• Photo storyboard of a film sequence
• Extended Step Outline

8. FM 2 – British and American
Films
Three Sections
Section A: Producers and Audience
Section B: British Film Topics
Section C: US Film – Comparative Study

9. Producers and Audience
• American and British Film Industry
Key Words: Finance, Organisation, Production,
Distribution, Marketing and Exhibition
• The Film Audience
Key Words: Supply and demand, Consumption,
Digital technologies, Genre, and Star System.
• Interrelationship between P and A via Case
Studies.
• The Kings Speech
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Precious
• Four Lions
• Avatar

10. British Film Topics – Comedy
Film
• Key Questions
• What is a comedy – genre and subgenres
• What is a British Comedy
• Typical Comedy Narratives and Characters
• In what context were the films made and what impact did this
have?
• Representation of British Culture
• What themes are common in comedy films, what British
themes are present and how are issues dealt with
• Key Films
• Love Actually and Four Lions (you choose up to 2 others)

11. US Film – Comparative Study
• Batman 1989 vs The Dark Knight
• Key Topic
• Genre Analysis
• Narrative Theory
• How media text communicate values and messages to
their audience
• Representation – ‘gender’ and ‘America’
• America in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s
• America in the Post 9/11 Age
• Central themes of the films

12. Summer Homework – Film
Journal
• As part of your Year 12 course I want you to keep a
film journal. You will be recording your thoughts/
feelings/responses to films and analyse micro
elements.
• I would expect you to watch at least one film every
two weeks and record your thoughts!
• Try to watch a range of films – not just the classic
Hollywood blockbuster.
• Use the ‘Movies to see before you Die’ list and the films
we have talked about today
• After summer you can also borrow films off me.