Film is the exclusive study of one of the greatest inventions of the last 150 years: Cinema. You will look at the history of film from the early silent shorts through the classical Hollywood period, how the arrival of sound and colour changed films, and you'll look at a massive range of films right up to the modern day with big name filmmakers and blockbusters, as well as non-Western filmmakers.

Over the two year course you will look at the rich world of cinema, including contemporary science fiction films, documentaries, Iranian vampire films and European arthouse cinema. You will look at theories and contexts, make practical projects of your own, and you will develop a refined and enviable knowledge of the world of cinema.

You will understand how filmmaking techniques have developed over time, and how we, as humans, express ourselves through the medium. You will also learn to write scripts and shoot films of your own. In some ways, this course is like English Literature, but with films as the texts instead of books; in other ways, it’s Sociology or Politics, where you consider the shaping influence of the world on films. In other ways, it is Psychology where you are considering the underlying meaning of films, or Philosophy, where you critically approach and debate the meaning of the stories and their effect on audiences and spectators.

Your overall grade will be based on two exams, and one non- examined assessment. In the first exam, you will be asked about films from history, and how filmmaking styles and approaches have developed over time. You will also be asked about experimental films from Europe.

In the second exam, you will talk about the difference between British and American films (we currently look at EX MACHINA and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), Documentary and finally how films from different places in the world approach the same theme, from filmmakers making films in different counties and languages.

Your coursework, or non-examined assessment, covers either a 10 page script with a storyboard or a five minute short film.

There are all sorts of suitable programmes that go along with Film Studies – for example, if you took English Language and Sociology, you might be looking at a Journalism pathway; if you took Media Studies and Photography, you might be looking at a theoretical or practical route. If you had Politics and Philosophy, History, Drama or Music, you will find common ground with Film Studies, as there are both academic and practical skills that you will utilise within this subject.

You need to be receptive to watching new films, and have an open mind to films that you wouldn’t normally choose to see (or films that you like!)

You should be analytical, inquisitive and should be prepared to have discussions on the subject.

No. Both Russell Group and Oxbridge universities offer courses in Film Studies. As the subject area is so broad, requiring skills in research, writing and creativity, it allows students the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills.

In terms of your further destinations, you can go onto almost any course at university, an apprenticeship or employment.

Approximately one in ten jobs in the UK are in the creative industry, and this includes film.

Our Film teachers have earned degrees in Film Studies, and some members of our team have taught at university, and work as external examiners in Media and Film.

We have connections to Sony UK, and over the last couple of years we have run trips which include study days to British film studios, visiting Pinewood Studios, the Kubrick exhibition at the Design Museum and the annual trip to Los Angeles, which involves visiting major studios (as well as staying in historical Studio City).

The course, teaching staff and extra-curricular opportunities that you will be offered at QMC are unparalleled, and we provide you with bespoke experience and insight. In the last year, alumni have won awards for their filmmaking and production work completed for their course here.

It’s not just watching films. You will need critical thinking, research skills and an ability to write academically. You will be expected to be on time and attend every class, and engage with all of the films and reading, even those that you don’t enjoy. You will sign up to Mubi – an online streaming service that’s free for students – and you will be asked to write reviews on Letterboxd. The way you watch films will change, and you will be more critical, analytical and thoughtful. You will start ruining films for everyone in your family through your knowledge and ability to talk about films!

As always, you should have a pen and paper for every lesson, and a folder to organise your notes. We use a lot of online resources, so you need to be prepared to access those from home. These may be streaming services or VLEs like Google Classroom. All films will be available from our Library, and where possible our staff will find streaming alternative sources for the case studies. You will need to re-watch all films a number of times, but these will be available for you. You should also be prepared to watch films in your own time.

You need 5 GCSEs 5-9, and you need to have a favourite film and an open mind, and then you just need to ask to take film!