Film Studies is designed to develop your critical understanding of the film industry and its relevance to global audiences, both past and present, in response to the visual media-saturated society we now live in. This course will help you to develop your passion and appreciation of film as an art form by developing your analytical and evaluative skills through the exploration of ideological approaches, spectatorship, narrative, genre and film form. You will develop a wealth of sophisticated research, writing and oral skills to critique and explore this exciting medium. This intellectual enquiry will then feed your application of creative and digital skills, where you will learn how to to develop your own short films, screenplays and storyboards. By developing academic, creative and digital literacy, you will develop a set of highly sought after skills for progression to Higher Education and industry, which will also be enhanced by making connections with creative and digital employers and universities throughout the course.

Students studying three A Levels will be expected to have a minimum of two GCSEs at grade 6 and three GCSEs at grade 5/4, including English Language and Mathematics at grade 5/4 or above. Or eight GCSEs at a minimum of grade 5.

Component 1: Varieties of Film and Filmmaking (35% of qualification)

• Old v New Hollywood - The Studio Era and American New Wave (1930-1990)

• American Film since 2005 - Mainstream v Independent Film

• British Film since 1995 - focusing on Narrative and Ideology

Component 2: Global Filmmaking Perspectives (35% of qualification)

• Global Film - European and World Cinema

• Documentary - The Art of Non-Fiction Filmmaking

• Silent Film - The Birth of Cinema and Evolution of Technology

• Experimental Film - Challenging Conventions and Expectations

Component 3: Production (Non-Examination Assessment - 30% of qualification)

• Short Film Production or Screenwriting and Storyboard Prodcution, with an Evaluative Analysis of your production work in response to other short and feature-length films.

This incredibly exciting course gives you an opportunity to learn about American film, British film, World Cinema, Documentary, Silent Film before 1930, and Experiemental Film. It will involve the study of film form, representations on screen, editing, cinema audiences, historical and cultural values, and film production. You will also learn about production values and the messages being communicated, including how films are marketed and advertised, distributed, and screened.

Studying a diverse range of films from several different contexts is designed to give learners the opportunity to apply knowledge and understanding of how films are constructed, which will then inform your own filmmaking and screenwriting. This enables you to create a professional portfolio and gain the experience of filmmaking, which will be invaluable for further studying and carrers in this sector.

Through studying, you will find that your academic and employability skills will be significantly developed, challenged and will enrich your learning experience and study skills. This is becuase you will be required to evaluate the social, political, historical and economic context of each film. Your studies will be also be complemented by various industry-related workshops run by industry professionals and acadmeics, and you will have opportunities to visit film and TV studios where you will apply your theoretical knowledge to your own film projects throughout the course.

Future students would benefit from researching the following filmmaker's styles in preparation for the course: Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, Shane Meadows and Danny Boyle.

Component 1: Varieties of Film and Filmmaking - written examination (35%).

Component 2: Global Filmmaking Perspectives - written examination (35%).

Component 3: Production - Non-Examination Assessment (30%).

Exam Board: Eduqas

Students benefit from a variety of enrichment including:

The Bolton Film Festival 
The BBC (Media City) 
Screenwriting workshops 
Lighting and Camera workshops 
BBC careers workshops 
The Bradford Media Museum 
Bolton FM 
Podcasting workshops 
Vlogging workshops 

Our staff will help and encourage you to obtain work experience within the local media industry and we have links with Bolton FM, Media City, Chief Productions, Bolton News and the BBC.

Students achieve outstanding results year on year for Film Studies and this is because we aim to bring a variety of teaching methods for you to get the most out of your programme of study. The teachers are examiners and therefore have a fantastic insight into how to achieve successful outcomes.

As well as careers in the film industry, this course is a good option if you wish to pursue a career in professions such as marketing, advertising, production, media, journalism and teaching. It is respected by higher education institutions and provides a range of transferable skills. With the growth of Media City in Manchester, there are a wide range of potential career pathways available.

To support your studies, you will be required to purchase relevant materials including: SD card, 16GB minimum and a SD card reader for coursework production. There is the opportunity to complete a one-week work placement in the summer term.