AS FILM STUDIES TRANSITION PACK
Upstream Colour AS Film Studies Transition Pack This pack contains 3 main tasks: an essay, the creation of a Film Studies file and its contents plus questions on a trailer. All tasks must be completed in full and submitted on your return in September. Your answers will be assessed within the first two weeks in order to determine your suitability for the course. 1. Your first task: an 800-1000 word written analysis on a 3 minute sequence from a film of your choice. This should be a detailed analysis that focusses on only one of the micro aspects cinematography, mise en scene, performance, editing or sound. Your essay should focus on a particular aspect of the film it could be drama, romance or humour. Use this basic structure for the title but insert your own particular line of enquiry for example, an essay focusing on drama and camera work in The Bourne Ultimatum opening would be titled: How does cinematography create dramatic tension in the opening sequence of The Bourne Ultimatum? Or emotion: How is emotional affect achieved through the actors performance (Shailene Woodley, George Clooney) in the sequence Mom was cheating on you in The Descendants? Both these sequences are available on YouTube. View these sequences to understand why they were chosen as useful examples. Film Studies is a student centred subject; we want to know your thoughts, ideas and feelings about the film you are writing about. This is NOT a review. Write in the first person this makes it more immediate and link your feelings to the devices the director has used to create those feelings. Additionally, think about why the director may have used that device.
The mantra is device-function- effect. What device is used e.g. close up shot, why was it used (function)? What effect does it have on you as audience? How does it make you feel? Use screen grabs to illustrate your essay. This avoids unnecessary description. An example from an AS student cinematography/sound essay, first term: This scene is set on a cold, misty night, this is pathetic fallacy as the director is using the weather to try to make me feel a certain way when watching; in this case they want to create tension and fear within you. Non-diegetic sound is used; eerie music is used in the background as the camera tracks into a medium- long shot of the train. This works as foreshadowing what is about to happen. Something bad is about to happen. The music sets a dark mood, it is a wide angled shot to show the extent of the scenery, and the music fits in well and is quite haunting. The lights now flicker and go out, which leaves everyone vulnerable (Additional trivia question: Which movie (and book) series is the above written analysis about?) Below are details from the Film Studies specification detailing the aspects of film form we cover in the first part of the AS course. Some of these terms, or at least the way they are used in Film Studies, will be new to you. Research them! A major part of Sixth Form study is indepe ndent research and study skills. 2. Create a Film Studies file. Include all your film research, (add in reviews of films that interest you) and create a section entitled Glossary where you note all the new terms you encounter. Define all the words in bold, below, and add them to your glossary. (I will supply ring-binders in September). FM1: EXPLORING FILM FORM Focus of the unit: This unit focuses on the micro features of film and the construction of meaning and emotion. Understanding will be fostered through: studying micro features of film: mise-en-scène, performance, cinematography, editing and sound identifying how these construct meanings and contribute to the sensory impact of film reflecting on individual response to micro features of film as a means of exploring the relationship between film and spectator creating a sequence to demonstrate how micro features produce meanings and responses. Throughout this unit, the emphasis will be on the interaction of film and spectator. This unit requires the study of the micro features of film. Mise-en-scène includes setting, props, staging, costume and makeup, figure expression and movement and off-screen space.
Performance includes physical expression, vocal delivery and interaction between performers (with reference to issues of staging/choreography where relevant). Cinematography includes photographic elements (e.g. camera position, colour, lens, depth of focus), lighting, framing and composition and special effects. Editing includes the organisation of time, both within a sequence and across sections of the narrative and the organisation of space, especially in creating coherence for the spectator. The principal conventions of continuity editing, such as shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, will be studied. The uses of montage editing will also be considered. Sound includes diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound and the variety of ways in which aural elements (e.g. speech, music and noise) are used in relation to visuals. 2b.Tell me about yourself and what you want to do in the future, in twenty five words. 2c. List your five favourite films and why. Your five favourite Directors and why.
3. Chart your film viewing over the next two months. Where did you watch the films and with whom? Comment on how typical this is for you. Write a short review for each film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kq9gwbgtey 4a. Watch this trailer and answer the following questions: Find out how this film performed at the box office (boxofficemojo.com) i) Look at the Similar movies section how does it compare? ii) How does it s release gross compare to a film you have recently watched? iii) What type of film is this? iv) What do you understand by the term art house? b. What audience would view this film? Age: Gender: Occupation: Educational background: Class: Cultural background: c. Write a short explanation of how the trailer targets its intended audience. Include the USP (Unique Selling Point). Please complete all questions. Your answers will be assessed within the first two weeks in order to determine your suitability for the course. See you in September. RJ Knight