Overview
Film is one of the most influential cultural forms of the modern world, shaping how we understand people, places and ideas.
At our school, film studies enables pupils to become confident and critical viewers who can explore films in depth and recognise how meaning is constructed. Pupils learn how cinematography, sound, editing and mise-en-scène work together to tell stories and communicate themes, giving them the tools to analyse film with clarity and precision. The subject encourages pupils to look beyond the surface, developing cultural awareness, historical understanding and an appreciation of film as both entertainment and social commentary.
Alongside analytical study, pupils develop their own creative voice through scriptwriting. They learn how to generate ideas, shape characters, build narrative tension and write visually for the screen. This process strengthens pupils’ ability to communicate, structure ideas effectively and express themselves with confidence. By the end of the course, pupils become informed, articulate and imaginative young people who can decode the visual communications.
Year 10
Term 1 – Key elements of film form: ‘Attack the Block’; narrative structure: ‘District 9’
Term 2 – Coursework: writing a screenplay; representation: ‘Tsotsi’
Term 3 – ‘Whiplash’; coursework
Year 11
Term 1 – Comparative study: ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ and ‘ET’
Term 2 – Revision
Term 3 – Revision
Exam board
Eduqas GCSE Film Studies