Other Courses

Film Studies A Level

St Simon Stock Catholic School

Oakwood Park, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0JP

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent

Level 3

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026

St Simon Stock Catholic School

2 Year(s)

Full time

Daytime/working hours

Please contact the provider directly to apply for this course.

Application Instructions

Applications Open: 7th November 2025 at 9am

Applications Close: 30th January 2026 4pm

Entry Requirements: - 5 GCSE's Grade 4 and above, including Maths and/or English plus additional subject specific entry requirements.

How to Apply: - Please apply via KentChoices

Course Summary

Film is one of the main cultural innovations of the past century and a major art form in its own right. The purpose of the course is to trace major developments in cinematography, look at the theory underpinning the production and consumption of films and engage creatively and analytically with the medium. The course is ideal for students who want to explore how and why films are made and focuses on the analysis and deconstruction of film over a wide historical time frame. It allows students to engage with films from early silent cinema and 1930s Hollywood films to contemporary and experimental cinema.

Course Details

The course involves studying 12 different films. These are separated into set categories, which are: American, British, Global, Documentary, Experimental and Silent Film. These are analysed via a number of different study area frameworks, including: film form, meaning and response, context, spectatorship, narrative, ideology, authorship, critical debates and filmmakers' theories.

Students also explore the work of a wide range of influential film directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Ridley Scott or Danny Boyle. Film Studies A level also looks at the forefathers of cinema by evaluating the impact of key pioneers on the film industry such as Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau and Sergei Eisenstein.

How will it be delivered and assessed?

Component 1: Varieties of film and filmmaking - written examination 2.5 hrs, 35% of qualification

Component 2: Global filmmaking perspectives - written examination 2.5 hrs, 35% of qualification

Component 3: Production - non-exam assessment, 30% of qualification

Entry requirements

Grade 5-9 in GCSE English Language or Literature

Your next steps...

A Level Film Studies students can go on to study Film, TV or Media at university. It can lead to employment in the industry such as in TV/film production, camera or visual work and scriptwriting. The skills of essay writing, analysis and close observation acquired in this course can open the door to employment in other creative industries such as media and journalism, as well as other, less specific areas, where analysis and creativity are key.

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