Here at Fyling Hall, we are really excited about our new Film Studies A Level we will be offering from 2021; it’s a fantastic qualification from the WJEC examination board and one that is very well respected by both universities and media businesses that gives students the chance to watch, comment on, and analyse some of the greatest works of cinematography ever created: from the terrifyingly dark mind of Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ to the neo-noir black comedy ‘Pulp Fiction’ by Quinten Tarantino or if classical Hollywood cinema is more your thing, then our students will have the chance to study ‘Casablanca’, ‘Some Like It Hot’ or ‘Vertigo’ as well as a plethora of British films like ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘Trainspotting’ but you can have a look at the full list of films in the WJEC specification here.
Over the A Level course students will look at film as a form of art and as such it so often mirrors the society in which we live and students will have this opportunity to discuss, debate, analyse and even create their own short films in the coursework element of the course.
Over the course of the first year, students will look at a variety of film making techniques such as lighting, cinematography, costume and performance and discuss how these techniques are all used to create meaning as well as putting together their own practical portfolio.
In the second year we will be using those skills acquired in the first year to analyse a plethora of different film genres from World Cinema to contemporary, from Classical Hollywood to experimental film.
Our new Film Studies A Level is going to be a fantastic course and the only real question is…who’s bring the popcorn?
Chris Thomas, Head of English . . . and Film Studies!