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Secondary Study Guides

All the study guides on this page are in PDF format and can be downloaded free of charge. Files require Adobe Reader Adobe Reader

For study guides on specific films visit our Film Library

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Classic Books Classic Films
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Classic Books, Classic Films - The Novel and Its Adaptation

This study guide is aimed at students of GCSE and A Level English. It looks at issues involved in adapting text from one form to another. Each section contains a set of questions that deals with a different area of the novel-into-film debate. The questions are not title specific- but it is assumed for the purposes of the excercise that the class is referring to a particular work.

Classroom Classics
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Classroom Classics

This study guide is designed to enable students to produce a range of English and Media assignments at GCSE. Students are encouraged to see film adaptations as interpretations of the novel with the idea that investigation of both visual and written texts will enhance understanding of both. The texts have been chosen to reflect popular syllabus requirements, including pre-twentieth century needs whilst still being accessible and appealing to students across the ability range. This study guide centres on four novels and a variety of their film adaptations:


791k Download
Documenting D-Day

This study guide is the fifth in our Cinema & History series and is aimed at GCSE and AS/ A Level students. It looks at the ways in which D-Day was reported in June 1944, the issues involved in using these sources with a study of the period and the ways in which D-Day is now presented.

Eisenstein
258k Download
Eisenstein

Although few in number, Eisenstein's films, particularly' The Battleship Potemkin', continually appear in listings of the top ten films of all time. Not only the power of Potemkin, but the possibilities of the art form that it demonstrated, ensure that Eisenstein will always have a place in the history of the development of the cinema. This study guide provides an overview of Eisenstein's life and work and is suitable for GCSE and A Level Media and Film Studies students

Film & Audience
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Film & Audience

This study guide outlines activities intended to allow examination of the role of the film industry past and present. There will be a specific focus on the dominance of Hollywood. It also aims to encourage students to reflect upon their own experiences as cinema-goers and to explore the various ways in which the film industry attempts to capture their imagination and interest. Students are asked to:

Hitchcock on Film
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Hitchcock on Film

Produced by Film Education and the British Film Institute, this Teachers' Guide contains:

My town your location
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My Town Your Location

My Town Your Location has been written to offer a wide range of project-based work of interest to both teachers and students. It gives information about an area of film that is seldom explained, that of the location manager, and asks students to look at film locations in their own areas involving a number of skills, including extensive group work. Activities within this guide are suitable for:

Intro to Popular Genre
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An Introduction to Popular Genres - Science Fiction/Western

This study guide has been produced as an introduction to popular genres to support the use of film in the classroom. By focusing on certain elements of two popular genres - science fiction and the western students are presented with the idea of narrative convention, characters, audience and institution.

No Image Available
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Representing History

The case study films for this guide (listed below) have been chosen both for their specific links to historical topics but also because of their filmic interest, either as a new take on a particular subject or an innovative way of telling a story. This guide should be of use to students and teachers looking at the Key Concepts at GCSE, A Level and GNVQ Media Studies.

Screenplay
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Screenplay

This study guide looks at how screenplays are constructed. It is intended for use in the following curriculum areas:

Spotlight on the Silver Screen
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Spotlight on the Silver Screen

This study guide selects four film texts through which to introduce aspects of narrative and genre and their relationship to each other. Each section is offered as a complete unit for GCSE and AS/A Level Media and Film Studies delivering information and activities on the context of production, genre,narrative and film language. There are also tasks and suggestions for activities.

Two of the film texts Stagecoach(1939) and Double Indemnity (1944) are investigated for their genre elements and for the way in which the genre, themes and style have developed over time. Students will be asked to look at contemporary 'reworked' examples of films either within the genre or which contain elements of the film's style and themes. A Bout de Souffle (1964) is explored as an example of French New Wave film focusing particularly on narrative and innovative camerawork. La Haine (1995) is examined for its status as a 'youth' film, again looking at genre and narrative.

Storyboard
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Storyboard

A storyboard is a graphical representation of the camera shots in a film sequence which are connected together to create a 'narrative flow'.It contains activities and tasks suitable for Media Studies students. Also looks at the elements that go into making up a storyboard including: