Year 13 Film Studies Homework 2018-19
13B & 13C Due Friday 19th October
Sunrise Research tasks
Your task is to further research the film’s context. You will need to complete notes to share with the class, though this should not be a cut and paste exercise. You should express ideas in your own words. Avoid using Wikipedia and instead look at other dedicated sources, such as sections in film studies text books, dedicated websites on German Expressionism, documentaries and clips from other German Expressionist films.
1: The career and auteur signature of F.W. Murnau
You should look at Murnau’s career as a filmmaker. How did he develop as a director? Does he have a distinct auteur trademark? Consider how he combines the Kammerspielfilm (research what this is) and German Expressionism. Which key films did he direct before Sunrise?
2: UFA studios in Germany and Fox Studios in Hollywood
Research the development of UFA studios in the 1920s. Which key German Expressionist filmmakers and films were developed at UFA? Was there a studio style or were films in a variety of styles and genres produced at UFA? Then research Fox studios in Hollywood. What kind of films were produced at Fox in the 1920s?
3: Sunrise – the film
Find information about the production and reception of the film. Explain why Fox Studios wanted to produce a German Expressionist film. How successful was the film when it was released? Why is the film now considered to be one of the greatest films of all time?
A2 Film Studies Homework 2017-18
13B Due Tuesday 17th April
13A Due Wednesday 18th April
Deadline for the final draft of your screenplay. 1800 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13B Due Friday 23rd March
Write an initial draft of at least 1200 words of your screenplay. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13B Due Friday 2nd March
Read the two articles from the links below about the child on screen. Make a list of notes as to why the child in the horror film is such an emotive device. (Note of interest: the articles refer to Village of the Damned, a great ‘creepy kids’ film starring Martin Stephens of The Innocents. Worth checking out – there are some links to clips on the right hand page of the BFI article.)
-
https://reelrundown.com/movies/evil_children_in_horror
- http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/446281/
13A & 13B Due Monday 19th February
Essay: To what extent are an audience’s emotional responses controlled by filmmakers?
- Refer to sequences from Reservoir Dogs and Audition.
- Apply the debates around spectatorship theories.
- 1500 words.
13A & 13B Due Tuesday 23rd January
Revise for the mock exam.
13A & 13B Due Friday 19th January
- Read this article on the emotional effect of the close up shot.
- Make notes on what aspects make the close up such a powerful technique in stimulating spectator response.
13A & 13B Due Friday 5th January
Essay: To what extent has your chosen international style developed out of a response to a particular set of factors at a particular moment in history?
- You should discuss Soviet cinema. You may draw comparisons or contrasts with Weimar cinema, if you wish.
- You must refer to at least two films
- 1500 words
Links to the Soviet films can be found here
13A & 13B
Research project final draft
You all have individual deadlines for your presentation. Please bring a printout of all catalogue, script, slides and a cover sheet with you.
13A Due Tuesday 31st October
13B Due Tuesday 31st October
You need to hand in a draft of your completed coursework research project script and catalogue. Please include any accompanying slides, which can be sent via email to pl@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk or by printing multiple slides on a page to save paper.
13A Due Monday 9th October
13B Due Friday 13th October
Essay (1500 words): To what extent are the stylistic features of your chosen Weimar films influenced by the political and/or cultural climate in which they were produced?
You should refer to at least two fims. You may refer to your individual study film and Metropolis (bearing in mind that we have not yet looked at this in class).
13A Due Wednesday 20th September
13B Due Monday 25th September
Select one of the Weimar films from the list below and prepare a short presentation with images that includes:
- Director & year
- A brief plot summary
- Key themes
- Expressionist features
- Comparisons or contrasts with The cabinet of Dr Caligari
- Links to context
- Any other notable features
Many can be viewed online using the Useful Links page.
Choice of Research Films
Der Student Von Prag (The Student Of Prague) (1913)– Paul Wegener/ (1926) – Henrik Galeen
Faust – F. W. Murnau
Der Lestze Mann (The Last Man, though usually known as ‘The Last Laugh’) – F. W. Murnau
Die Freudlose Gasse (The Joyless Street ) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Schatten – Eine nächtliche Halluzination (“Shadows – a Nocturnal Hallucination”, also known in English as Warning Shadows) 1923 – Arthur Robison.
Der Mude Tod (Destiny) – Fritz Lang
Secrets Of A Soul (Geheimnisse einer Seele) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) – Paul Leni
The Niebelungen – Fritz Lang
Dr Mabuse, The Gambler – Fritz Lang
Genuine (1920) Robert Wiene
2016-17
13D & 13E Due Monday 24th April
Complete the first draft of your reflective analysis. 1000 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13D& 13E Due Tuesday 18th April
Deadline for the final draft of your screenplay. 1800 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13E Due Monday 20th March
Write an initial draft of at least 1000 words of your screenplay. You can find help and advice on this here.
13D & 13E – Due Friday 3rd March
1) Read the sections on Malena from the book by by William Hope in your Popular Film and Emotional Response booklets. There are spare copies of this on the desk in H4.
2) Read through the slides on Malena that can be found here
3) Write 800 words on how three key sequences from the film attempts to use cinematic devices to stimulate emotional response in the spectator. Extracts can be found online.
13D Due Monday 30th January
13E Due Monday 30th January
Revise for the mock exam. You will not have to do Section C but will need to choose one question from each of:
- Section A – German &/or Soviet Cinema
- Section B – Popular Film and Emotional Response
Good luck!
Also to do over Christmas: You have been given a list of 20 things to (re)learn over the holiday that we have covered so far this term. You will be tested on them in your first lesson back. If you have not picked up the list, it can be accessed here.
13D Due Wednesday 4th January
13E Due Friday 6th January
Read this article on the emotional effect of the close-up. It is a fairly challenging read in parts, but give it a go. Make notes for a discussion on how use of the camera can affect our emotional response. Link this to an example of your own (any film of your own choosing) and explain your understanding of these terms: Intimate distance, Personal distance, Social distance, Public distance. It would be helpful if you can bring in your example or find a link for the first lesson after Christmas.
13D Due Friday 16th December
13E Due Tuesday 13th December
Investigate one of the examples of 1920s Soviet Cinema that you have selected from the list here.
Prepare a short presentation on which you outline:
•Director and year
•Plot
•Comparisons or contrasts to other contemporary films
•Key features of use of montage or constructivism
•Any critical analysis
13D Due Monday 5th December
13E Due Friday 2nd December
Select any sequence from Pudovkin’s Mother . Analyse the sequence in detail to answer the question:
Is it true to say that Pudovkin’s filmmaking is characterised entirely by its approach to editing?
1000 words
Suggested sequences:
•The father returns home drunk
•The Mother and Son grapple over the guns
•The trial
•The Son learns of the coming prison break
•The breakout
13D Due Wednesday 19th November
13E Due Tuesday 18th November
Bring in your work for your final draft of your Small-Scale research project – including the catalogue, presentation script and any slides, handouts or other supporting materia – for the last lesson before half term. This will be your last opportunity to get teacher advice on your projects before the presentation dates.
The completed work will be due on the day you are scheduled to present your project to the class. Please also include a cover sheet with your name and project title.
13D& 13E Due Friday 30th September
You need to hand in a draft of your completed coursework research project script and catalogue. Please include any accompanying slides, which can be done via email to pl@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk or by printing multiple slides on a page to save paper. We will be using the lesson on Tuesday 27th to go over any work in progress or issues with the project so you are advised to bring in your work with you on that day. For any issues, please speak to Mr Lloyd.
13D Due Wednesday 21st September
13E Due Friday 23rd September
Select one of the Weimar films from the list below and prepare a short presentation with images that includes:
- Director & year
- A brief plot summary
- Key themes
- Expressionist features
- Comparisons or contrasts with The cabinet of Dr Caligari
- Links to context
- Any other notable features
Many can be viewed online using the Useful Links page.
Choice of Research Films
Der Student Von Prag (The Student Of Prague) (1913)– Paul Wegener/ (1926) – Henrik Galeen
Faust – F. W. Murnau
Der Lestze Mann (The Last Man, though usually known as ‘The Last Laugh’) – F. W. Murnau
Die Freudlose Gasse (The Joyless Street ) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Schatten – Eine nächtliche Halluzination (“Shadows – a Nocturnal Hallucination”, also known in English as Warning Shadows) 1923 – Arthur Robison.
Der Mude Tod (Destiny) – Fritz Lang
Secrets Of A Soul (Geheimnisse einer Seele) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) – Paul Leni
The Niebelungen – Fritz Lang
Dr Mabuse, The Gambler – Fritz Lang
Genuine (1920) Robert Wiene
2015-16
13A & 13E Due Friday 10th June
Revise for the exam! Ensure you are confident in using examples for all three units. Classroom resources and online film clips can be found on the relevant pages. The revision page can be found here. Practice papers and their mark schemes can be accessed here. Any completed will be marked.
13A & 13E Due Friday 6th May
Essay (1500 words): ‘Vertigo is a poorly made thriller with a ridiculous, unbelievable plot.’ How far do you agree with this view?
13A Due Tuesday 19th April
13E Due Wednesday 20th April
Complete the first draft of your reflective analysis. 1000 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13E Due Tuesday 12th April
Deadline for the final draft of your screenplay. 1800 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13E Due Monday 21st March
Deadline for the first draft of your screenplay. 1800 words. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13E Due Wednesday 16th March
Write an initial draft of at least 1000 words of your screenplay. You can find help and advice on this here.
13A & 13E – Due Friday 4th March
1) Read the sections on Malena from the book by by William Hope in your Popular Film and Emotional Response booklets. There are spare copies of this on the desk in H4.
2) Read through the slides on Malena that can be found here
3) Write 800 words on how three key sequences from the film attempts to use cinematic devices to stimulate emotional response in the spectator.
13A & 13E – Due Monday 22nd February
Essay: How far do spectators respond to the emotional content of films in the way that the filmmakers intended? (1500 words)
A Level 4 answer should include:
- A detailed knowledge and understanding of the spectator, particularly the ways in which the spectator responds to the emotional content of popular films.
- An appreciation and understanding of how the filmmaker attempts to manage spectator response through the range of macro and micro techniques available.
- An ability to develop an argument based on the above with excellent examples to support the case.
- (The very best candidates) … will extend the discussion, possibly questioning the relationship between a hypothetical spectator and actual audience members, each with their own potentially idiosyncratic response.
13A & 13E – Due Wednesday 10th February
Please spend time organising your folders so that:
- Tracking sheets are up to date and kept at the front
- Notes are logically organised for revision purposes
- Material is easy to find
- Loose sheets are appropriately filed
Bring your folders in with you on Wednesday
13A & 13E – Due Wednesday 27th January
Revise for the mock exam – Section A on German &/or Soviet Cinema of the 1920s and Section B on Popular Film and Emotional Response
13A & 13E – Due Tuesday 19th January
- Select a sequence from Jack Clayton’s The Innocents (1961).
- Analyse in detail why the sequence provokes an emotional response in the spectator
- 1000 words
13A & 13E – Due Monday 4th January
To what extent has your chosen international style developed out of a response to a particular set of factors at a particular moment in history?
- You should discuss Soviet cinema. You may draw comparisons or contrasts with Weimar cinema, if you wish.
- You must refer to at least two films
- 1500 words
Links to the Soviet films can be found here
13A & 13E – Due Tuesday 8th December
Use the slides found here to answer the question: Is it true to say that Pudovkin’s filmmaking is characterised entirely by its approach to editing?
- You should select one sequence to analyse in detail in your response
- The complete film can be found here
- 1000 words
13A & 13E – Due Tuesday 24th November
Read this article on Soviet cinema. Make notes on:
- Key events that affected the context in which Soviet films of the 1920s were produced
- Key films and directors from the era
- Any points on cinematic style that characterises Soviet films from the 1920s
13A & 13E – Due Monday 16th November
Read through the peer-compiled booklet on Weimar films that you have individually studied to remind yourselves of key themes and stylistic features. You may annotate your copies and feel free to investigate any of the films studied by your classmates. Links can be found here.
13A & 13E – Individual deadlines as set
You need to complete and present your small-scale research projects. You should hand in a title page, catalogue, presentation script and any supportive visual material on the date set for your presentation.
13A & 13E Due Tuesday 3rd November
Essay (1500 words): To what extent are the stylistic features of your chosen Weimar films influenced by the political and/or cultural climate in which they were produced?
You should refer to at least two fims. You may refer to your individual study film and Metropolis (bearing in mind that we have not yet looked at this in depth).
13A & 13D Due on Mr Lloyd’s return from paternity leave
For full details of your cover work while I am absent clickhere.
13A Due Monday 28th September
13E Due Monday 28th September
You need to hand in a draft of your completed coursework research project script. Please include any accompanying slides, which can be done via email to pl@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk or by printing multiple slides on a page to save paper.
13A Due Friday 18th September
13E Due Friday 18th September
You need to hand in a draft of your completed Catalogue of Sources for your coursework research project.
The deadline for a draft of your completed presentation script plus any slides will be due the following week.
2014-15
13D & 13 E Due Friday 12th June
Revision for the exam time! I will run additional sessions over the next two weeks and will post the schedule on this page soon.
13D Due Monday 21st April
13E Due Monday 21st April
Read the essay ‘Femininity by Design’ by Tania Modleski in your Vertigo books. It would aid you to make notes and highlight anything that you don’t understand in preparation for the lesson.
13D Due Wednesday 15th April
13E Due Tuesday 14th April
Two things to do:
1) Complete the first draft of your reflective analysis. (Advice on this can be found here.)
2) Essay (1500 words): Explore some of the ways in which Hitchcock attempts to manage the audience response to Scottie as the narrative of Vertigo unfolds. (The visual stimulus for this essay can be found here.)
13D Due Wednesday 25th March
13E Due Monday 23rd March
Research a key theme that is to be found in Vertigo and the wider the work of Alfred Hitchcock. You should use the books in the library as well as material available online.
Produce a short presentation in which you discuss your theme across Hitchcock’s films with reference to examples from one other film and specifically within Vertigo. You should select from:
- The portrayal of heroes and villains
- Relationships between male and female characters
- Dreams and reality
- Authority
- Mothers
- Soundtrack
- Cinematography
- Colour
- Narrative structure
- Perspective
- Insanity
- The eye
- Female clothes
- The double
- Portraits (painting and photographs)
13D Due Friday 20th March
13E Due Friday 20th March
Complete the final draft of your screenplay. Help and advice on this can be found here.
13D Due Monday 9th March
13E Due Monday 9th March
Complete the first draft of your screenplay. Help and advice on this can be found here.
13D Due Monday 23rd February
13E Due Monday 23rd February
Write an initial draft of at least 1000 words of your screenplay. You can find help and advice on this here.
13E Due Thursday 12th February
Write three paragraphs on how Clayton’s The Innocents (1961) stimulates an emotional response. Use examples to consider cinematic style and spectatorship issues. The film (with Spanish subtitles) can be accessed here.
13D Due Thursday 12th February
Including cover work for your missed lesson due on Monday 9th Feb: Please complete the above task and also prepare an idea for a story that will form the basis of your screenplay. You may bring in more than one idea to present to the class.
13D Due Friday 6th February
13E Due Friday 6th February
Essay (1500 words)
Answer either
‘Some spectators can laugh, others cry at the same sequence.’ Explore why spectators may react very differently to the same sequences in the films you have studied for this topic.
or
How important is performance in understanding the spectator’s emotional response to popular films? Refer to the films you have studied for this topic.
13D Due Wednesday 28th January
13E Due Tuesday 27th January
1) Read the sections on Malena from the book by by William Hope in your Popular Film and Emotional Response booklets. There are spare copies of this on the desk in H4.
2) Read through the slides on Malena that can be found here
3) Explain how three key sequences from the film use cinematic devices to stimulate emotional response in the spectator. You can do this as bullet points or as a series of diagrams ready to present to the class on the date due.
13D Due after Christmas
13E Due after Christmas
Revise the key units for German and/or Soviet cinema of the 1920s and Popular Film and Emotional Response as preparation for the mock exam in January.
Revision notes for aspects of Popular Film and Emotional Response covered so far can be found here
13D Due Friday 12th December
13E Due Friday 12th December
Read this article on the emotional effect of the close-up. It is a fairly challenging read in parts, but give it a go. Make notes for a discussion on how use of the camera can affect our emotional response. Link this to an example of your own and explain your understanding of these terms: Intimate distance,Personal distance,Social distance,Public distance. it would be helpful if you can bring in your example or find a link for the lesson.
13D Due Friday 5th December
13E Due Friday 5th December
Essay: How does cinematic style support themes and ideas in the Soviet films of the 1920s you have studied?
1500 words
13D Due Friday 28th November
13E Due Friday 28th November
Investigate one of the following examples of 1920s Soviet Cinema. Prepare a short presentation on which you outline:
•Director and year
•Plot
•Comparisons or contrasts to other contemporary films
•Key features of use of montage or constructivism
•Any critical analysis
1.The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr West in the Land of the Bolsheviks -Lev Kuleshov, 1924
2.Earth – Alexander Dovzhenko, 1930
3.By the Law – Lev Kuleshov, 1926
4.The House on Trubnaya (The House on Trubnaya Street) – Boris Barnet, 1928
5.Arsenal – Alexander Dovzhenko, 1927
6.Storm Over Asia, (AKA The Heir of Genghis Khan) – Vsevelod Pudovkin, 1928
7.The End of St Petersburg – Vsevelod Pudovkin, 1927
8.Stride, Soviet – Dziga Vertov, 1926
9.The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty – Esfir (or Esther) Shub, 1927
10.Salt for Svanetia – Mikhail Kalatozov, 1930
13D Due from Monday 10th November onwards, as scheduled
13E as above
Complete the final draft of your Small-Scale research project, including the catalogue, presentation script and any slides, handouts or other supporting material. These will be due on the day you are scheduled to present your work to the class. Please also include a cover sheet with your name and project title.
13D Due Thursday 23rd October
13E Due Thursday 23rd October
Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences.
1500 words
Characteristics of a Level 4 answer:
A very good knowledge and understanding of the international film style itself and of specific film examples which can be referred to accurately and in detail.
A sound ability to understand and respond to the terms of the question, including a good knowledge of directors’ contribution to the chosen international film style.
A confidence in responding directly to the question, weighing the relative arguments for a ‘directors cinema’ and those for other and different inputs.
(The very best candidates) … will develop a sophisticated argument and have the confidence either to adopt and defend through elaboration a very definite position – or to offer a refined weighing of different creative inputs.
13D Due Wednesday 15th October
13E Due Wednesday 15th October
You need to hand in a draft of your completed coursework research project script. Please include any accompanying slides, which can be done via email to pl@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk or by printing multiple slides on a page to save paper.
13D Due Wednesday 8th October
13E Due Wednesday 8th October
You need to hand in a draft of your completed Catalogue of Sources for your coursework research project.
The deadline for a draft of your completed presentation script plus any slides will be due the following week.
13D Due Monday 29th September
13E Due Tuesday 30th September
Select one of the Weimar films from the list below and prepare a short presentation with images that includes:
- Director & year
- A brief plot summary
- Key themes
- Expressionist features
- Comparisons or contrasts with any of the study films
- Links to context
- Any other notable features
Many can be viewed online using the Useful Links page
Choice of Research Films
Der Student Von Prag (The Student Of Prague) (1913)– Paul Wegener/ (1926) – Henrik Galeen
Faust – F. W. Murnau
Der Lestze Mann (The Last Man, though usually known as ‘The Last Laugh’) – F. W. Murnau
Die Freudlose Gasse (The Joyless Street ) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Schatten – Eine nächtliche Halluzination (“Shadows – a Nocturnal Hallucination”, also known in English as Warning Shadows) 1923 – Arthur Robison.
Der Mude Tod (Destiny) – Fritz Lang
Secrets Of A Soul (Geheimnisse einer Seele) – Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) – Paul Leni
The Niebelungen – Fritz Lang
Dr Mabuse, The Gambler – Fritz Lang
Genuine (1920) Robert Wiene
13E Due Thursday 18th September
13D Due Tuesday 23rd September
How does The Cabinet of Dr Caligari reflect the context in which it was made? Consider the artistic as well as the social/political context of Weimar Germany
1000 words
Whole film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Ax1Dmbl4U
Weimar Cinema page: http://www.hinchingbrookeschool.co.uk/FilmStudies/GermanCinema.htm
