Film Studies gives students the skills to analyse, understand and enjoy the films that shape our culture. In Year 9, students are introduced to the subject and the theoretical framework used to study it, exploring how images, sound and language combine to create meaning. It is an engaging, discussion-rich subject that develops critical thinking, confident analytical writing and a genuine understanding of film as both an art form and a global industry.
Diana Harrison
Curriculum Leader Media Studies
Sam Gray
Subject Lead Film Studies/Teacher of English & Media
Subject Information Sheets
The subject information sheets below set out exactly what your child will study in Film Studies each half-term — the films and topics covered, the home learning they will be set, and how their work is assessed. Knowledge organisers for every unit are available on the class Microsoft Teams group and on the school website, so students can revise key terminology and build on their learning at home.
Film Studies at Sandy is taught through a clear theoretical framework built on four key areas: film language, representation, the film industry and audience. Students first learn the subject's technical and analytical vocabulary, then apply it to a sequence of Close Study Products — beginning with an independent short film before moving on to major productions such as Skyfall, The Breadwinner and The Farewell. Through close analysis, regular written work and lively discussion, students learn not simply to watch films but to question how meaning is made and why different audiences respond in different ways.
Film Language
We explore how images, sound, editing and mise-en-scène work together to create meaning, learning the technical vocabulary at the heart of film analysis.
Representation
We analyse how different groups in society are portrayed on screen, and how those representations shape the way audiences understand the world.
Film Industry
We examine how films are produced, marketed and distributed, comparing the independent and Hollywood industries and the challenges each one faces.
Audience
We investigate how different audiences interpret the same film in very different ways, and explore the reasons behind their responses.
Curriculum Intent, Implementation & Impact
Our Film Studies curriculum is built on a clear intent, a carefully sequenced implementation and a lasting impact on every student. From their very first lessons, students develop the knowledge, subject vocabulary and analytical skills they need to read films critically and to succeed at GCSE and beyond — building cultural capital and a genuine appreciation of film as both an art form and an industry.
Intent
The Media Studies Department seek to guide students to question and analyse all that they see in modern day media so that they can become media literate, critical thinkers.
We aim to increase student awareness of how meaning is created in media texts and gain understanding that those meanings may be used to persuade people to respond to texts in certain ways, such as adopting certain attitudes or values, or engaging in purchasing, using or producing media texts.
By exploring how different people interpret meaning in different ways, according to their own circumstances and experiences, and the examination of the value of all of these views teaches students empathy.
Students will develop understanding of how differing social groups of people are represented by the media and they will evaluate favourable and unfavourable representations of groups and the reasons for these.
We encourage questioning minds and independent learning through developing analytical skills in exploring how media texts are constructed and decoded which then leads into students creating their own media products in their coursework.
We intend for students to build confidence in their own ability through analysis of unseen texts and exploring the value of differing audience interpretations.
We hope that the study of some more demanding media texts, with which many students would not normally engage, increases their cultural capital and inspires them to learn more about the industry as a whole and consider career options in the media.
Implementation
The Media Studies curriculum is taught through a framework comprising the study of media language, media industries, audiences and representation.
In addition to this, students will explore how relevant contexts of production influence the content of media products and how audiences interpret their meaning.
The course focuses on nine different media forms: advertising, film, music video, online, video games, radio, television and newspapers.
The advertising and music video units focus on how media language constructs meaning in advertisements along with how they create a variety of differing representations of people and ideas.
The units on music video and radio focus on media industries and audiences exploring the challenges facing these industries as well as how audiences respond to their content.
Film is studied for industry only, with a case study examining the differences between independent and Hollywood film.
The remaining units, online, video games, television and newspapers are studied for all four areas of the framework: media language, industry, audience and representation as well as relevant context.
Through this, students develop their analytical and evaluative skills in a variety of media forms.
Students are prepared for written exam questions with regular writing practice ahead of the two exam papers, which are worth 70% of the qualification.
They also complete a coursework project (NEA) worth 30% of the award. This task is prescribed by the exam board and changes every year.
We prepare students to complete the NEA through practical focus on taking photography and manipulating images as well as making short videos and creating written text, as relevant to the brief.
Each unit is assessed with a formal writing task, adapted from previous questions and marked using AQA mark schemes.
Knowledge organisers which summarise units of work are used as revision for regular quizzing to consolidate learning from lessons.
Impact
By the end of KS4 students will have good media literacy.
They will understand how audiences are active and will engage in differing interpretations of texts according to environmental factors and personal experience.
They will be able to give examples of how media industries have evolved over time giving evidence of technological developments and the impact of the internet.
They will understand how context affects the construction and interpretation of media texts and how these are continually subject to change.
Students will understand how the social and cultural influences in media texts reflect society and its beliefs.
Students will have explored how meaning is created in the construction and decoding of a wide variety of print and audio-visual media texts.
They will understand how people, places and ideas are represented in different ways; how audiences engage in differing interpretations of texts according to environmental factors and personal experience.
Construction of their coursework will develop students’ independent learning and time management skills. Students will be able to apply what they have learnt in creating a product of their own.
They will have learnt how to reflect on and evaluate their work and implement positive advice for improvement.
By the end of KS5 students will have developed their analytical skills in exploring a variety of media texts.
They will have good understanding of theoretical ideas and academics’ work and be able to apply these in their own analysis.
They will be skilled in interpreting how meaning is constructed and interpreted in different media products and have developed good critical thinking skills.
Begin Your Film Studies Journey
Discover how Film Studies can shape your future — explore our curriculum.
Film Studies Curriculum Film Studies Film Studies gives students the skills to analyse, understand and enjoy the films that shape our culture. In Year 9, students are introduced to the subject and the theoretical framework used to study it, exploring how images, sound and language combine to create meaning. It is an engaging, discussion-rich subject that develops critical thinking, confident analytical writing and a genuine understanding of film as both an art form and a global industry. Subject Information Sheets The subject information sheets below set out exactly what your child will study in Film Studies each half-term — the films and topics covered, the home learning they will be set, and how their work is assessed. Knowledge organisers for every unit are available on the class Microsoft Teams group and on the school website, so students can revise key terminology and build on their learning at home. Subject Information Sheets Our Approach to Film Studies Film Studies at Sandy is taught through a clear theoretical framework built on four key areas: film language, representation, the film industry and audience. Students first learn the subject's technical and analytical vocabulary, then apply it to a sequence of Close Study Products — beginning with an independent short film before moving on to major productions such as Skyfall, The Breadwinner and The Farewell. Through close analysis, regular written work and lively discussion, students learn not simply to watch films but to question how meaning is made and why different audiences respond in different ways. Film Language Representation Film Industry Audience Curriculum Intent, Implementation & Impact Our Film Studies curriculum is built on a clear intent, a carefully sequenced implementation and a lasting impact on every student. From their very first lessons, students develop the knowledge, subject vocabulary and analytical skills they need to read films critically and to succeed at GCSE and beyond — building cultural capital and a genuine appreciation of film as both an art form and an industry. Intent Implementation Impact Students learning
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