Structure of Assessment
For every area of the assessment, students will be required to analyse key sequences from a range of set-films.
Component 1 — Key Developments in US Film
Written Exam worth 35% of the overall GCSE (90 minutes)
Section A: US Comparison Study
Question 1 focuses on ‘Dracula’ (Browning, 1931)
Question 2 focuses on ‘The Lost Boys’ (Schumacher, 1982)
Question 3 is a Comparison Study essay of ‘Dracula’ (Browning, 1931) and ‘The Lost Boys’ (Schumacher, 1982)
Students could be asked about any of the following areas of study:
- Genre and Narrative
- Representation of Characters
- The Key Elements of Film Form
- Context (Political, Social, Cultural, Historical, Technological and Institutional)
Section B: Key Developments in Film and Film Technology
Question 4 focuses on the Key Developments in Film and Film technology timeline from 1895 to the present day
Section C: US Independent Film
Question 5 focuses on how a source of specialist writing influences the students’ understanding of the key themes of their set-film. Students will have the opportunity to choose between studying either ‘Whiplash’ (Chazelle, 2014) or ‘The Hate U Give’ (Tillman, Jr., 2018).
Students could be asked about any of the following areas of study:
- Key ideas from the source of specialist writing
- How the key idea has influenced their own opinion of the film
- Whether they agree or disagree with the source of specialist writing
- The Key Elements of Film Form
Component 2: Global Film — Narrative, Representation and Film Style
Written exam worth 35% of the overall GCSE (90 minutes)
Section A: Global film, produced outside the US
Question 1 focuses on ‘Jojo Rabbit’ (Waititi, 2019).
Students could be asked about any of the following areas of study:
- Characters and their Character Journey
- Genre and Narrative
- Narrative Structures
- Narrative Theories (Todorov’s Narrative Theory; The Theory of Binary Opposition; Propps’ Narrative Theory)
- The Key Elements of Film Form
- Context (Political, Social, Cultural, Historical, Technological and Institutional)
Section B: Non-English Language Film
Question 2 focuses on ‘The Wave’ (Gansel, 2008)
Students could be asked about any of the following areas of study:
- Characters and their Character Journey
- Representation of Characters
- The Key Elements of Film Form
- Context (Political, Social, Cultural, Historical, Technological and Institutional)
Section C: UK Contemporary Film, produced after 2010
Question 3 focuses on ‘Attack the Block’ (Cornish, 2011)
Students could be asked about any of the following areas of study:
- Film Style and Aesthetics
- The ‘look’, mood or atmosphere of the film
- The Key Elements of Film Form
- Context (Political, Social, Cultural, Historical, Technological and Institutional)
Component 3: Production
Non-Exam Assessment worth 30% of the overall GCSE
Students are required to complete the following three pieces of coursework as part of their N.E.A. work:
- Original Screenplay (800-1000 words) that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of ONE of the following genres:
- Science Fiction
- Action
- Horror
- War
- The Teenage Film
- Shooting Script (approx. 1 page equating to 1 minute of footage) that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of the following:
- Cinematography (including camera shots, angles and movement)
- Editing (including cuts, transitions, pace and order of edits)
- Sound (including dialogue, sound effects and music)
- Evaluative Analysis (750-850 words) that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of the following areas:
- The aims of the genre film extract (the chosen genre of the production, its main audience)
- An indication of how key aspects from approximately three genre films have influenced the production
- An analysis of the production in relation to comparable, professional produced genre-films