4th Edition
A Level Film Studies The Essential Introduction
Introduction: This is film studies
Part I - Film form and analysis
Chapter 1 – Mise en scène
Chapter 2 – Cinematography
Chapter 3 – Editing
Chapter 4 – Sound
Chapter 5 – Performance
Part II - Theoretical approaches and critical debates
Chapter 6 – Narrative and genre
Chapter 7 – Representation and ideology
Chapter 8 – Spectatorship
Chapter 9 – Authorship
Chapter 10 – Historical, social, political, and cultural contexts
Part III – Hollywood and US cinema
Chapter 11 – Classical Hollywood, 1930–1960
Chapter 12 – New Hollywood, 1961–1990
Chapter 13 – American film post-2012
Part IV – National cinemas, European cinema, and global cinema
Chapter 14 – British film since 1995
Chapter 15 – European film
Chapter 16 – Global cinema
Part V - Further varieties of film experience
Chapter 17 – Silent cinema
Chapter 18 – Experimental film
Chapter 19 – Documentary film: theory and practice
Part VI - Understanding film through creative practice
Chapter 20 – Researching and constructing a short film
Index
Biography
Sarah Casey Benyahia currently teaches Film Studies at A level and is an experienced senior examiner. She is the author of several books, including Crime (Routledge, 2011), Doing Film Studies with Claire Mortimer (Routledge, 2013), and Teaching Film and TV Documentary (2008). She has also contributed chapters to Death and Crises in the Hispanic World: Cultural Responses (2020), Narratives of Place in Film and Literature (2018), Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (2013), and The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films (Routledge, 2015).
John White is the author of British Cinema and a Divided Nation (2021), The Contemporary Western: An American Genre Post-9/11 (2019), European Art Cinema (Routledge, 2017), and Westerns (Routledge, 2011). He co-edited The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films (Routledge, 2015), Fifty Key American Films (Routledge, 2009), and Fifty Key British Films (Routledge, 2008).
‘This fourth edition of the popular A Level Film Studies: The Essential Introduction is packed full of up-to-date essential, significant information on film form, film history, film movements, and case study films that is not only highly accessible to students and teachers alike but enhances the importance of studying film as an academic, yet fun subject for the twenty-first century! It’s everything you and your students need in one essential place!
'This book offers clear and effective definitions of key film language and terminology. It is insightful, informative and a chest of treasure for students studying film whether with Eduqas or OCR. It is brilliant to have an up-to-date book that students can learn a great deal from regardless of which exam board they are studying Film Studies with. Key case study films from both specifications are covered in a student-friendly way with fantastic emphasis on how to analyse and explore them.
'A Level Film Studies: The Essential Introduction is an essential addition to have in your repertoire of resources as a teacher and a must have for students as they build on their knowledge, understanding, and application of Film Studies.’
Sophie Mngoma, Teacher of Film Studies, Woking College
‘I strongly endorse this updated edition; it is an invaluable resource for A Level Film students. The level of detail and accessible content make it an indispensable and essential resource for both students and teachers. With insightful analysis and engaging up-to-date case studies, it’s the perfect guide for mastering film theory, production, and critical thinking in today’s evolving film landscape.’
Oliver Woods, Head of Sixth Form and Film Studies Teacher, The Windsor Boys’ School
