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EnglandFilm Studies

Hollywood and American film (Component 01 Film History)

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What does the OCR American film since 2005 study require, and how is spectatorship applied as the specialist study area?

American film since 2005 and spectatorship. Studying a mainstream and an independent American film made since 2005 through film form and narrative, with spectatorship (alignment, allegiance, identification, active and passive response) as the specialist study area.
An OCR A-Level Film Studies guide to American film since 2005 and spectatorship. Covers studying a mainstream and an independent American film made since 2005 through film form and narrative, and spectatorship (alignment, allegiance, identification, active and passive response) as the specialist study area, with the exam skills the section rewards.
17 min answer →

What defines Classical Hollywood and New Hollywood as periods and styles, and how do their industrial contexts shape the films?

Classical Hollywood and New Hollywood. The studio system, the classical style, the star system and the Production Code (1930 to 1960); and the collapse of the studios, the influence of art cinema and the auteur, and the looser style of New Hollywood (1961 to 1990).
An OCR A-Level Film Studies guide to Classical Hollywood and New Hollywood. Covers the studio system, the classical continuity style, the star system and the Production Code (1930 to 1960), and the collapse of the studios, the influence of art cinema and the auteur, and the looser, darker New Hollywood (1961 to 1990).
17 min answer →

What is the auteur approach in OCR Film Studies, and how do you apply it to a Hollywood film without ignoring industry and context?

The auteur approach. The director as the author of a film, the auteur theory and its origins (politique des auteurs, Sarris), recurring style and theme as a signature, and the critique that filmmaking is collaborative and industrial.
An OCR A-Level Film Studies guide to the auteur approach. Covers the director as the author of a film, the origins of auteur theory (politique des auteurs, Sarris), recurring style and theme as a signature, and the critique that filmmaking is collaborative and industrial, with how to apply it in the exam.
16 min answer →

What does the OCR Hollywood comparative study (1930 to 1990) require, and how do you compare a Classical and a New Hollywood film through film form and context?

The Hollywood comparative study (1930 to 1990). Comparing one Classical Hollywood film (1930 to 1960) with one New Hollywood film (1961 to 1990) through film form and context, with either auteur or ideology as the specialist study area, in the highest-tariff Section A essay.
An OCR A-Level Film Studies guide to the Hollywood comparative study (1930 to 1990) in Component 01. Covers comparing one Classical Hollywood film with one New Hollywood film through film form and context, the auteur or ideology specialist area, and the comparative essay skills Section A rewards.
18 min answer →

What is the ideology approach in OCR Film Studies, and how do you read a film for the values and beliefs it carries?

The ideology approach. Reading a film for the values, beliefs and assumptions it carries (dominant ideology, hegemony), how films reinforce or challenge ideology, and applying the approach to the Hollywood comparative study and British film.
An OCR A-Level Film Studies guide to the ideology approach. Covers reading a film for the values, beliefs and assumptions it carries (dominant ideology, hegemony), how films reinforce or challenge ideology, and applying the approach to the Hollywood comparative study and British film since 1995.
16 min answer →