Brampton College is delighted to introduce Film Studies to add to the breadth of A level subjects on offer next year. However, whilst the course is new for the college, it is not for our course teacher, Dave Dowson. He’s highly experienced in the subject, having studied it to a Masters level and having taught the subject for seven years across a range of London colleges. Students will also have access to high quality equipment and industry standard software to enhance their experience of the course.
We don’t want students to be fooled into thinking that this is an easy option, however. There is so much more to Film Studies than simply watching films, and students should expect to be constantly challenged by the course. It will explore a range of different kinds of cinema, from silent film of the 1920s to modern productions, across a range of different artistic styles, movements, genres and methods of production and distribution. The course encourages discussion on what meaning films create, how they represent people and societies, and personal responses to experimental and mainstream texts.
Film Studies is also highly respected by universities, being an essay-based and critical study with an extensive crossover of academic literary theorists. It has also been an academic discipline within universities for over 50 years and is regarded as an academic subject in its own right. Oxford and Cambridge are now offering Masters and PHD courses in Film Studies and Screen Arts. Russell Group universities accept Film Studies as an appropriate A level qualification when prospective students apply to study a humanities or arts related discipline.
The subject is also very attractive to a range of employers – perhaps more so than ever with the exponential amount of content now produced on a daily basis. Career paths for students of Film may include practical avenues such as film-making, directing, producing and editing but a qualification in Film Studies also allows you to move into more theoretical pathways such as film criticism, journalism, teaching and education. However, it should be noted that the practical element (contained in the first year only) is a small proportion of the course (30%) in comparison to the written element,assessed through two exams (35% each).
This is a really exciting development for the college and we are sure to see a lot of interest in the course. Please take a look at the subject page here for further information on Film Studies or contact Admissions if you have any questions.
