A Level Film Studies

Building confidence through a careful, step-by-step approach, this book is an essential companion for students undertaking A Level Film Studies. This book begins by establishing a basic understanding of film analysis, introducing film construction, mise en scène, cinematography, editing, sound, and performance. Key theoretical approaches to narrative, genre, representation, spectatorship, and authorship are then introduced, along with specific national cinemas from around the world. Next, students consider the unique experiences of silent cinema, experimental films, and documentaries. Finally, the focus shifts to evaluating creative approaches to students' own filmmaking. Thoroughly revised and updated to match exam specifications for both Eduqas and OCR, the fourth edition of this essential textbook features: - Case studies and activities relating to a number of films, including those new to the syllabus such as Get Out, Cléo from 5 to 7, and Belfast, each clearly signposted to the relevant board and specification - Fully integrated online resources, cross-referenced within the text, to help students and instructors dive deeper into case studies and exam prep - Even more chapter summaries and breakout boxes containing definitions of key terms, theories, and theorists throughout. Designed to be comprehensive and easy-to-use, A Level Film Studies: The Essential Introduction covers everything students need to succeed in their exams as well as inspiring further study. This book is supported by e-resources for students and instructors, including additional case studies, revision checklists, and key approaches to assessment.

Sarah Casey Benyahia currently teaches Film Studies at A level and is an experienced senior examiner. She is the author of several books, including Crime (Routledge, 2011), Doing Film Studies with Claire Mortimer (Routledge, 2013), and Teaching Film and TV Documentary (2008). She has also contributed chapters to Death and Crises in the Hispanic World: Cultural Responses (2020), Narratives of Place in Film and Literature (2018), Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (2013), and The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films (Routledge, 2015). John White is the author of British Cinema and a Divided Nation (2021), The Contemporary Western: An American Genre Post-9/11 (2019), European Art Cinema (Routledge, 2017), and Westerns (Routledge, 2011). He co-edited The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films (Routledge, 2015), Fifty Key American Films (Routledge, 2009), and Fifty Key British Films (Routledge, 2008).

Introduction: This is film studies Part I - Film form and analysis Chapter 1 - Mise en scène Chapter 2 - Cinematography Chapter 3 - Editing Chapter 4 - Sound Chapter 5 - Performance Part II - Theoretical approaches and critical debates Chapter 6 - Narrative and genre Chapter 7 - Representation and ideology Chapter 8 - Spectatorship Chapter 9 - Authorship Chapter 10 - Historical, social, political, and cultural contexts Part III - Hollywood and US cinema Chapter 11 - Classical Hollywood, 1930-1960 Chapter 12 - New Hollywood, 1961-1990 Chapter 13 - American film post-2012 Part IV - National cinemas, European cinema, and global cinema Chapter 14 - British film since 1995 Chapter 15 - European film Chapter 16 - Global cinema Part V - Further varieties of film experience Chapter 17 - Silent cinema Chapter 18 - Experimental film Chapter 19 - Documentary film: theory and practice Part VI - Understanding film through creative practice Chapter 20 - Researching and constructing a short film Index