FM1 - Exploring Film Form(a) An analysis of a film extract - 1500 words (30 marks)
Candidates are required to explore how one or more of mise-en-scène, performance, cinematography, editing, and sound construct meaning and provoke response in a film extract. • Candidates are encouraged to support their work with illustrative visual material. • Recommended length of extract: approximately 3-5 minutes (depending on the complexity of the extract). (b) Creative Project
Aims & context, film sequence or short film and reflective analysis (50 marks) Candidates are required to create a film sequence or a complete short film that demonstrates how the micro features of film construct meaning. This comprises three elements: (i) Aims and context (no marks) A clarification of the aims and context of the sequence or short film to be completed on the appropriate cover sheet. The 'Aims and Context' must be completed on the appropriate cover sheet, otherwise the Creative Project and accompanying Reflective Analysis cannot be adequately assessed. (ii) Film Sequence or Short Film (40 marks) The film sequence may either be an extract from longer film or a complete short film, with the emphasis on visual communication rather than on dialogue. It may take one of the following forms: • an extended step outline of 1000 words (representing 5-8 scenes) (Template & Guidance here) • a photographed (digital) storyboard of between 15 and 25 different shots (some of which may be repeated) plus up to 5 found shots (shots which would be difficult to photograph or where locations need to be established). The 5 found shots must be acknowledged. (Storyboard Template can be downloaded here) • a film sequence or short film of approximately 2 minutes and containing between 15 and 25 different shots (some of which may be repeated). Group work is permitted for the filmmaking option (maximum 4). Groups of candidates should take primary responsibility for one or more micro features of the sequence (such as camerawork, editing or sound). Each candidate must identify their role and the micro aspect they are responsible for on the appropriate coversheet. (iii) Reflective analysis (750 words = 10 marks) The reflective analysis should select key micro features of the sequence and demonstrate how they make meaning(s) and aim to provoke response(s) in audiences. Candidates working in a group should focus on the construction and impact of their chosen micro aspect. The analysis should be presented as a continuous piece of writing, with or without illustrative material. |
FM2 - British and American FilmFocus of the Unit This unit focuses on two key aspects of Film Studies:
• producers and audiences and the relationship between them • the role of macro features of film (narrative and genre) in constructing meanings. These will be studied in the context of two national cinemas – those of the UK and the USA. Critical understanding will be fostered through: • the interrelationship between producers and audiences, with a particular focus on aspects of the film industry and audience behaviour • narrative and genre characteristics of UK and US films • personal response to films, mediated by the study of films and their contexts. Content Section A: Producers and Audiences For section A of this unit, candidates will study the UK and US film industry, the audiences for films produced by these industries and their interrelationship. (a) The Film Industry The study of the Film Industry requires a focus on basic aspects of the working of: • the American film industry - specifically contemporary Hollywood, including its impact on UK audiences; • the British film industry - specifically the contemporary industry, including issues of independence, distinctiveness and profitability. Aspects of finance, organisation, production, distribution (including marketing) and exhibition will be studied, particularly through case studies. (b) The Film Audience The Film Audience requires a focus on: • film demand and supply, specifically in the UK today • the consumption of film, including cinema-going and the importance of home cinema and the internet, together with the significance of digital technologies in delivering different kinds of film experience. A study of the importance of genre and stars, both for producers and for audiences will provide a useful bridge between this section and sections B and C. (c) The Interrelationship between Producers and Audiences: case studies Case studies should be selected to explore the interrelationship between producers and audiences. Contemporary case studies may cover the following areas: • Hollywood film producers and the institutional frameworks within which they operate (for example as part of large conglomerate business corporations). • UK film producers and the institutional frameworks within which they operate (for example in relation to support from the British Film Institute and through co-production deals). • the importance of genre and stars for US/UK producers and for audiences • film marketing (including specific marketing materials such as posters, dvd covers and 'official' internet sites) • film reviews – both those produced by critics for circulation in other media and those produced by fans • film exhibition, including multiplexes and independent cinemas, as well as other types of venue, and online exhibition, including consideration of different kinds of film viewing experience • the availability of independent low budget films, and foreign language films in the UK. • the social practice of participation in contemporary 'film culture' which includes cinema-going, online viewing, and home cinema. • star images – both those put into circulation by the industry and by fans. Section B: British Film Topics Each topic requires the study of at least two films with a focus on how macro elements of film, particularly narrative, construct meanings and raise issues. (e) British Film: Social-Political Study Prescribed study for examination: 'Living with Crime' This study allows for an exploration of films in which characters are caught up in crime or are living within a culture of crime. While allowing for a study of UK crime films from a genre perspective, the principal focus should be on social and political issues raised by the films. In some cases the narrative may concern characters being drawn in to crime or trapped in a crime culture or trying to resist crime. Films may include Sweet Sixteen, Bullet Boy and London to Brighton. Alternatively, older films such as Performance and Get Carter may be studied. Questions that may be raised include ones relating to gender, race and class. The candidate must show a detailed knowledge of a minimum of two films. Section C: US Film – Comparative Study Two films must be chosen from a specific genre or dealing with a specific theme. Since this is a comparative study, the two films selected should enable sufficient comparison and contrast to be made. One way of ensuring this is to select films made at different historical moments. Badlands (1973) - Natural Born Killers (1994) |