American and British film overview: American film since 2005 and British film since 1995

This overview maps the WJEC Component 1 Sections B and C: American film since 2005 and British film since 1995. Both are two-film comparative studies, each with its own pair of specialist study areas.

What these studies cover

Component 1 pairs two American films (one mainstream, one independent) and two British films, and asks you to compare each pair. The specialist study areas give you the lenses: spectatorship and ideology for the American films, narrative and ideology for the British films. The skill is comparison through these lenses, grounded in context.

The two studies

This module covers two studies and the specialist study areas they use.

• American film since 2005. One mainstream and one independent American film, compared through spectatorship and ideology.
• British film since 1995. Two British films, compared through narrative and ideology, with social realism and national cinema often relevant.

The topics

This module has four pages.

1. American film since 2005. The mainstream/independent comparison and its specialist areas.
2. British film since 1995. Comparing two British films and the character of British national cinema.
3. Spectatorship. How films position the audience through point of view, alignment, allegiance and cueing.
4. Ideology in film. The values a film conveys, read through form and resolution, and the dominant/oppositional distinction.

How to study these topics

These studies reward comparison through the specialist lenses.

1. Lead with the specialist areas. Build answers around spectatorship/ideology or narrative/ideology.
2. Compare, do not describe. Cover both films at each point.
3. Ground in context. Use the mainstream/independent contrast and British social context.
4. Read the resolution. Endings are key evidence for ideology.
5. Allow varied responses. Spectatorship recognises the active viewer; ideology allows mixed positions.

Where this fits in the exam

These studies are assessed in Component 1 (Varieties of film and filmmaking). For the official specification, past papers and mark schemes, see eduqas.co.uk, and always revise from the current specification because question style is board-specific.