Curriculum Intent: Film (KS4)
The GCSE Film curriculum aims to inform students of the social, cultural and historical contexts which impact on creative choices within film.
It aims to inspire students to critically examine and form judgements, draw conclusions about the values and ideologies that are conveyed through a film’s cinematography and how contexts play a huge role in mediating these messages. Through a knowledge-rich curriculum, students will study the theoretical framework (film form) and will explore films from a range of cultures, including Hollywood productions and films from South Africa, Sweden and the UK. The study of set texts within these cultures will range from sci-fi to drama, horror and film employing hybrid approaches with subversions of audience expectation. Students will examine how people and ideas are represented and how the structural elements of film, including narrative and screen play, play a huge part in the messages presented. Students will also explore contemporary issues within society and culture, plus the shifts in attitudes, which have informed representations, including historical events which have influenced texts and their meanings today.
At the start of Key Stage 4, students will be introduced to contexts which will underpin the introduction to each set text. They will develop knowledge and understanding of how social, cultural, historical and political contexts have shaped society, including representations of gender and film genres. Through the initial study of film posters, students will develop their analysis skills using semiotic analysis and film language to analyse these texts. They will be introduced to the structure of writing an analysis and being able to draw their own judgments and conclusions based on evidence. Once they have grasped the basic skills of analysis, students will be introduced into Film Form, which will be taught in a linear way from Cinematography, all the way through to narrative. Each section of film form will be taught using clips from the Eduqas set texts so students have a mix of cultures and genres represented. Exam questions on film form which range from 1-5 marks will be introduced and students will start applying their knowledge to questions. Students will then move onto studying UK film before moving on to Global examples so they can understand the key differences in the ’look’ and ‘mood’ of realist film. Each set text will then be taught through Rosenshine, with a focus on analysis and interpretation, which is then applied to exam questions.
The first year will prepare students for their coursework element at the end of Y10, which will provide students with creative opportunity to create their own film sequence. Using inspiration from set exam board briefs, students will apply their knowledge and understanding to their own coursework. This will also support their step up into Y11 where they will begin to study more complex representations and to analyse niche areas within film – scriptwriting and screenplay, for example.
The final year of the course will be structured to allow for revision of the key texts, taught in cycle lessons, to allow for revision focus on gaps and key areas.
Following this qualification, students will be able to progress ono the A level of Media within our sixth form, and will have the core analytical skills used in both Media and Film, but also in English literature and language. Through the study of contexts, students will see links with history and geography and other subjects at KS5 outside of the arts and humanities. Studying Film opens up windows of opportunity with production, screen writing, marketing and PR examples of career paths that film lends itself to.