THE ECCLESBOURNE SCHOOL

A Level

Exam Board: EDUQAS

Contact: Mr R. Mason and Mr M. Young

Course Overview

Our lives are changing at an exponential rate: our access to information, via AI and the digital media, appear limitless, yet paradoxically, feelings of confusion, dislocation and miscommunication permeate society more than ever before! Great Cinema can help to narrow the void, to encourage understanding, identity and clearer communication. As well as catering to the universal needs for beauty and creativity, media offers tangible economic appeal and commercial benefits.

Film Studies at the Ecclesbourne School offers students the opportunity to identify reasons why certain media texts resonate with us so clearly. Through close examination of Film form and context, students shall decipher meaning and respond critically, to unlock complex concepts such as representation, spectatorship, ideology and the nature of narrative.

Studying influential cinema from around the world over the past century, students shall analyse eleven feature-length movies and several short films, closely considering diverse perspectives, from Theories of Identity, as argued by David Gauntlett, to Gender Discourse and Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ in mainstream Hollywood. Exploring culture through the Structuralist principles of Claude Levi-Struss, students will hone their powers of critical thinking.

Alongside this fascinating academic study, students will also get the chance to draw inspiration from influential works and work practically to create their own short movie (5 mins), along with an evaluative commentary. With the influx of new media platforms all promoting new initiatives and trends, there are few areas of future employment that would not benefit from an understanding of engaging, entertaining and informative methods of communication to the masses.

Download Curriculum Overview and Content

Entry Requirements:

5 GCSEs 4-9 or A*-C to include English Lang or Lit Grade 5

Assessment

If you have any questions or queries relating to the Film Studies curriculum, please email HeadOfFilmStudies@ecclesbourne.derbyshire.sch.uk for more information.