Section B

To ensure candidates achieve a breadth of study over their Film Studies course, different core texts must be used in this section to those studied elsewhere in this course.

The key objective of this section is for candidates to examine critical approaches and discuss their relevance to contemporary issues relating to film. The topic areas require an understanding and critical engagement with wider film issues and debates beyond the texts themselves.

In contrast to Section A where the focus is on close textual study, this section should allow candidates to examine a range of case studies which move along the continuum from national to global contexts.

Centres are advised to examine relevant texts, debates and research in advance of the examination.

Each topic area links to the issues of spectatorship and candidates should explore how the audience that receive these texts respond to them.

They are advised to consider a range of films from different countries, institutional contexts and forms. There should be emphasis on the historical, the contemporary and the future in relation to the chosen topic, with most attention on the present. Centres are thus advised to ensure that study materials for this unit are up to date and relevant.

In addition to engaging with contemporary debates, candidates are encouraged to engage with critical frameworks relevant to their topic area. However, it is important that candidates do not simply reference such theories but actively apply, engage and debate the relevance of these theories in contemporary film and cinema.

Authorship in Contemporary Cinema 

For this topic candidates are encouraged to consider the role of ‘film talent’ including directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, sound engineers, performers (stars) in contemporary cinema. For this topic candidates should study the following:

• the impact of film talent such as directors, producers, writers, cinematographers,sound engineers and stars on the control and success of film 
• the changing role of authorship/stardom in contemporary cinema 
• the significance of film talent to the success of texts in both domestic and global territories 
• the crossover nature of stars/film talent from different countries 
• the crossover nature of stars/film talent from art house and/or independent to mainstream cinema 
• the role of other factors that influence success in contemporary cinema, such as genre, technologies and marketing and distribution 
• the relevance of critical approaches to contemporary authorship such as auteur studies, postauteurism and star studies.