Film Studies

Contact Teacher: Mr G Evans, Team Leader Film & Media Studies

Exam Board: Eduqas

Vision

Film Studies at Bishop Luffa recognises that film is the world changing art form of the 20th Century and beyond which gives a window to cultures, peoples, places, events and experiences like few other platforms. Life in all its fullness will be experienced in our studies; the exploration of themes of destiny and escape City of God and Pan’s Labyrinth; of British culture, values and ideology in Trainspotting and Shaun of the Dead; of representations of women and millennials in Frances Ha! and of masculinity and fate in No Country for Old Men; of the miraculous and divine intervention in Pulp Fiction and the perils of celebrity and the media in Amy.

Our department fosters a passion and appreciation of film and its contexts. It utilises and stretches students’ fundamental written and practical skills and combines them with a relevant, contemporary curriculum to help students to achieve their very best in a subject they have always loved.

Film Studies Learning Journey

This is a visual representation of how students' knowledge and skills develop through the Film Studies curriculum.

Film Studies Learning Journey 2025 onwards

Why study Film?

Students of Film Studies are the students of the future, gaining the skills needed to develop successful careers and great academic minds. Young people are currently rediscovering the aesthetic and cultural importance of cinematic gems from across the decades through the rise of reparatory cinema screenings and film sites like Letterboxd.

Film Studies will not only change the way you watch film, but more importantly it will challenge you to think in new ways and question or change your perspective on a whole host of issues, for example, representation of race or gender. Studying film allows you to understand important issues and developments within history, society and culture, using film as the medium with which to gain a greater insight into these areas. As well as gaining an appreciation of film as an art form in terms of its visual storytelling, studying film can enhance your understanding of the world in terms of competing values, attitudes and beliefs. Our course also incorporates a creative production element where you will be able to put what you have learnt into practice by making a short film or writing a screenplay. At Bishop Luffa you can choose to edit with our comprehensive and up-to-date industry standard software (Adobe Premiere) in our exclusive Edit Suite

Where does Film Studies lead?

The development of deeper critical and creative thinking gained by studying film can enhance many different career paths and is a much sought after transferable skill in both employment and further study.

The study of film is highly regarded. Film Studies has been an academic discipline within universities for over half a century and is regarded as an academic subject in its own right. Oxford and Cambridge offer Masters and PHD courses in Film Studies and Screen Arts and Russell Group universities accept Film Studies as an appropriate A level qualification.

Employment in the screen industries has grown by over 20% since 2009 and will substantially outpace the economy wide increase of 3% if the skills shortages in this area are fulfilled. Career paths for students of Film may include practical avenues such as Film-Making, Directing, Producing and Editing but a qualification in Film Studies also allows you to move into more theoretical pathways such as Film Criticism, Journalism, Teaching and Education

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

Topic areas include:

• Hollywood 1930-1990
• Contemporary American Independent Film
• British film
• European Film
• Film Production
• Global Film
• Documentary
• Silent Film
• Experimental Film
• Short Film

Each topic area has one or two set films as case studies and currently include Pan’s Labyrinth, City of God, Shaun of the Dead, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Amy, Vertigo, Alien, La La Land, Mulholland Drive and Moonlight.

You will study the key elements of film form including cinematography, mise en scène, editing, sound and performance. You will also study the contexts of your chosen films and what was happening when the films were made. What can the film tell us about history and society at that time? You will study the films in terms of the representations they present or challenge.

Extra Curricular Activities.

We have strong ties with local film exhibitors and educators such as New Park Cinema and Slindon Cinema and we have regular talks from former students that now work in the Film Industry. Every year we visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour and the Media Magazine Student Conference and we also have a 2 day Film and Media themed London residential. In school we have Film Club for younger learners where Film Studies students are invited to curate and program screenings and film seasons and we hold a school-wide Short Film Competition.

How will I be assessed?

There are two exams, each worth 35%, and a 30% assessment of production work.

The exams are 150 minutes long and consist of answering 3 extended response questions on Component 1 and 4 extended response questions on Component 2. There will be questions on each and every film we study across the exams and all set texts are equally weighted. This means there’s no ambiguity about what will or will not appear in the exams and time management during assessment is incredibly straightforward.

Creative Production : There is a creative production element which allows you to showcase the film-making or screenwriting skills you have developed during the course.

Entry requirements

You do not need to have studied Film Studies at GCSE to take it at A-Level, but if you have we would expect you to have earned a Grade 6. Otherwise, you will need at least a Grade 5 English Literature and/or Language.