A Level Film Studies Specification May Be Followed by Any Learner, Irrespective of Gender, Ethnic, Religious Or Cultural Background
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GCE A LEVEL WJEC Eduqas GCE A LEVEL in FILM STUDIES ACCREDITED BY OFQUAL SPECIFICATION Teaching from 2017 For award from 2019 Version 2 January 2019 This Ofqual regulated qualification is not available for candidates in maintained schools and colleges in Wales. SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS Version Description Page number 2 'Making entries' section has been amended to clarify resit rules 43 and carry forward of NEA marks. © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 1 WJEC Eduqas GCE A LEVEL in FILM STUDIES For teaching from 2017 For award from 2019 Page Summary of assessment 2 Films set for study 3 1. Introduction 7 1.1 Aims and objectives 7 1.2 Prior learning and progression 8 1.3 Equality and fair access 8 2. Subject content 9 2.1 Component 1: Varieties of film and filmmaking 19 2.2 Component 2: Global filmmaking perspectives 25 2.3 Component 3: Production 31 3. Assessment 37 3.1 Assessment objectives and weightings 37 3.2 Arrangements for non-exam assessment 38 4. Technical information 42 4.1 Making entries 42 4.2 Grading, awarding and reporting 42 Appendices A: Short film study 43 B: Component: Marking grids 44 © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 2 GCE A LEVEL FILM STUDIES SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT Component 1: Varieties of film and filmmaking Written examination: 2½ hours 35% of qualification This component assesses knowledge and understanding of six feature-length films. Section A: Hollywood 1930-1990 (comparative study) One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to two Hollywood films, one from the Classical Hollywood period (1930-1960) and the other from the New Hollywood period (1961-1990). Section B: American film since 2005 (two-film study) One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to two American films, one mainstream film and one contemporary independent film. Section C: British film since 1995 (two-film study) One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to two British films. Component 2: Global filmmaking perspectives Written examination: 2½ hours 35% of qualification This component assesses knowledge and understanding of five feature-length films (or their equivalent). Section A: Global film (two-film study) One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to two global films: one European and one produced outside Europe. Section B: Documentary film One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to one documentary film. Section C: Film movements – Silent cinema One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to one silent film or group of films. Section D: Film movements – Experimental film (1960-2000) One question from a choice of two, requiring reference to one film option. Component 3: Production Non-exam assessment 30% of qualification This component assesses one production and its evaluative analysis. Learners produce: either a short film (4-5 minutes) or a screenplay for a short film (1600-1800 words) plus a digitally photographed storyboard of a key section from the screenplay an evaluative analysis (1600 - 1800 words). This linear qualification will be available for assessment in May/June each year. It will be awarded for the first time in summer 2019. Ofqual Qualification Number (listed on The Register): 603/1147/2 Qualifications Wales Designation Number (listed on QiW): C00/1178/9 © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 3 Films set for study Component 1: Varieties of film and filmmaking Six feature-length films will be studied for this component. Section A: Hollywood 1930 - 1990 (comparative study) Two Hollywood films will be studied for comparison, one chosen from group 1 and one chosen from group 2: Group 1: Classical Hollywood (1930-1960) Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942), U The Lady from Shanghai (Welles, 1947), PG Johnny Guitar (Ray, 1954), PG Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958), PG Some Like It Hot (Wilder, 1959), 12 Group 2: New Hollywood (1961-1990) Bonnie and Clyde (Penn, 1967), 15 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Forman, 1975), 15 Apocalypse Now (Coppola, 1979), 15 Blade Runner (Scott, 1982), 15* Do the Right Thing (Lee, 1989), 15. *Learners study Blade Runner in the Director's Cut version, released 1992. Section B: American film since 2005 (two-film study) Two films will be studied, one chosen from group 1 and one chosen from group 2: Group 1: Mainstream film No Country for Old Men (Coen Brothers, 2007), 15 Inception (Nolan, 2010), 12A Selma (Duvernay, 2014), 12A Carol (Haynes, 2015), 15 La La Land (Chazelle, 2016), 12A Group 2: Contemporary independent film (produced after 2010) Winter's Bone (Granik, 2010), 15 Frances Ha! (Baumbach, 2012), 15 Beasts of the Southern Wild (Zeitlin, 2012), 12A Boyhood (Linklater, 2015), 15 Captain Fantastic (Ross, 2015), 15. © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 4 Section C: British film since 1995 (two-film study) Two of the following British films will be studied: Secrets and Lies (Leigh, 1996), 15 Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996), 18 Sweet Sixteen (Loach, 2002), 18 Shaun of the Dead (Wright, 2004), 15 This is England (Meadows, 2006), 18 Moon (Jones, 2009), 15 Fish Tank (Arnold, 2009), 15 We Need to Talk about Kevin (Ramsay, 2011), 15 Sightseers (Wheatley, 2012), 15 Under the Skin (Glazer, 2013), 15. © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 5 Component 2: Global filmmaking perspectives Five feature-length films (or their equivalent) will be studied for this component. Section A: Global film (two-film study) Two films will be studied, one chosen from group 1 and one from group 2: Group 1: European film Life is Beautiful (Benigni, Italy, 1997), PG Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro, Spain, 2006), 15 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Schnabel, France, 2007), 12 Ida (Pawlikowski, Poland, 2013), 12A Mustang (Ergűven, France/Turkey, 2015), 15 Victoria (Schipper, Germany, 2015), 15 Group 2: Outside Europe Dil Se (Ratnam, India, 1998), 12 City of God (Mereilles, Brazil, 2002), House of Flying Daggers (Zhang, China, 2004), 15 Timbuktu (Sissako, Mauritania, 2014), 12A Wild Tales (Szifrón, Argentina, 2014), 15 Taxi Tehran (Panahi, Iran, 2015), 12. Section B: Documentary film One of the following films will be studied: Sisters in Law (Ayisi and Longinotto, Cameroon/UK, 2005), 12A The Arbor (Barnard, UK, 2010), 15 Stories We Tell (Polley, Canada, 2012), 12A 20,000 Days on Earth (Forsyth and Pollard, UK, 2014), 15 Amy (Kapadia, UK, 2015), 15. Section C: Film movements - Silent cinema One of the following film options will be studied: One Week (1920), U and The Scarecrow (1920), U and The 'High Sign' (1921), U and Cops (1922), U, (Keaton, US) Strike (Eisenstein, USSR, 1924), 15 Sunrise (Murnau, US, 1927), U Spies (Lang, Germany, 1928), PG Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, USSR, 1928), U and A Propos de Nice (Vigo, France, 1930), U. © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 6 Section D: Film movements - Experimental film (1960-2000) One of the following film options will be studied: Vivre sa vie (Godard, France, 1962), 15 Daisies (Chytilova, Czechoslovakia, 1965), 15 and Saute ma ville (Akerman, Belgium, 1968), 15 Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, US, 1994), 18 Fallen Angels (Wong, Hong Kong, 1995), 15 Timecode (Figgis, US, 2000), 15. It is the centre's responsibility whether to select films classified 18 for study. © WJEC CBAC Ltd. A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 7 GCE A LEVEL FILM STUDIES 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aims and objectives Film is one of the main cultural innovations of the 20th century and a major art form of the last hundred years. Those who study it characteristically bring with them a high degree of enthusiasm and excitement for what is a powerful and culturally significant medium, inspiring a range of responses from the emotional to the reflective. Film Studies consequently makes an important contribution to the curriculum, offering the opportunity to investigate how film works both as a medium of representation and as an aesthetic medium. The WJEC Eduqas specification is designed to introduce A level learners to a wide variety of films in order to broaden their knowledge and understanding of film and the range of responses films can generate. This specification therefore offers opportunities to study mainstream American films from the past and the present as well as a range of recent and contemporary British films, American independent films and global films, both non-English language and English language. The historical range of film represented in those films is extended by the study of silent film and significant film movements so that learners can gain a sense of the development of film from its early years to its still emerging digital future. Studies in documentary, experimental and short films add to the breadth of the learning experience. Production work is a crucial part of this specification and is integral to learners' study of film. Studying a diverse range of films from several different contexts is designed to give learners the opportunity to apply their knowledge and understanding of how films are constructed to their own filmmaking and screenwriting. This is intended to enable learners to create high quality film and screenplay work as well as provide an informed filmmaker's perspective on their own study of film. The WJEC Eduqas A level in Film Studies aims to enable learners to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: a diverse range of film, including documentary, film from the silent era, experimental film and short film the significance of film and film practice in national, global and historical contexts film and its key contexts (including social, cultural, political, historical and technological contexts) how films generate meanings and responses film as an aesthetic medium the different ways in which spectators respond to film. It also aims to enable learners to: apply critical approaches to film and apply knowledge and understanding of film through either filmmaking or screenwriting.