A Level Film Studies 2026-28

Studying Film Studies with ED6 drives exploration of the constantly evolving forms of film making and the theory behind the developing nature of cinematography.

The course is broken up into 3 sections, in the first section we look at 5 films from the silent era through to modern day films. We compare each of them to our understanding of what makes a film successful, what makes it popular and then we combine these theories into a toolkit we can apply in section 2 where we look at 6 movies from around the world to compare style, narrative and familiar structure in film making.

Finally in section 3 we need to combine all these skills, knowledge and theory tools we have developed for 2 years into the production of a 10-minute short film matching a genre from the brief given to us from OCR, these briefs change yearly as well so we get something new and exciting!

As Film Studies pairs so well with Media studies, you will have a wealth of opportunities to go into the film making industry, working as part of a creative team in any aspect such as camera work, editing techniques, sound design or digital development of concepts.

There are endless opportunities you can explore after leaving us, whether that’s freelance, employed or as an in-house technical developer the sky is the limit!

Similarly to the employment options, your options at university are expansive, you can investigate section specialisms such as film history, digital asset creation, script writing, sound design, digital editing skills, production manager, lighting and tech development & many, many more!

To apply for these courses, you will need to create a digital portfolio of your work within Film Studies to better showcase your knowledge and back up your theoretical approach to developing content.

Our entry requirements are reviewed annually and are subject to change as qualifications, awarding bodies and assessment criteria evolve.

For the latest qualifications and grades required by course type/level, please follow this link to check the most up-to-date entry criteria for direct entry and internal progression at the college.

Our exam board for A Level Film Studies is OCR, which breaks down the topics into 3 forms of assessment. The course is assessed as a 2-year linear programme that consists of 2 exam papers and a course work Non-Exam Assessment project.

Each paper’s topics are covered over a year to make room for the content that needs to be watched with the NEA coursework taking place between the developing exam content at the start of the second year.

Each exam paper is worth 35% of your overall grade leaving 30% for the NEA project.

Film Studies starts in September and runs for the academic year.

Two years, full time.