DP Film (HL & SL)
IB Diploma Film is a group 6 subject, which can be studied at either Standard or Higher Level. The course covers three curriculum areas: Textual Analysis, Film Theory and History and Creative Process. Students will be encouraged to develop their creative and critical abilities and to enhance their appreciation and enjoyment of film as they progress through the course.
Students will be encouraged to develop skills in critical thinking and reflective analysis, while engaging in the art and craft of film.
PART 1
In Textual Analysis students will learn to deconstruct and comment on various aspects of film, including representation, narrative, editing and sequencing, target audience, camera angles, shots and movements and features determining genre.
Areas of study will include
* Observing and questioning all the elements that create meaning, including acting, directing, lighting, cinematography, mise-en-scene.
* Understanding how the film fits into the larger context of its social, historical, cultural and political environment.
* Researching a film’s genre, audience as well as its historical, institutional, and socio-cultural significance.
PART 2
In Film Theory and History, students will be encouraged to question film, considering a variety of aspects including
* Who made the film?
* Why?
* How does the film address the audience?
* How does the audience engage with the film?
Topics covered include Early Cinema, Film Noir, Gender Theory, Auteur Theory and Psychoanalytical Film Theory.
PART 3
Throughout Creative Process, students will also consider the different stages in film making, from initial and technical planning, to the physical production, concluding with post-production, and all that is involved along the way, in addition to completing several practical production projects, focusing on specific areas of the creative process, which will include
* Creative expression through film
* Developing professional skills
* Developing technical skills
* Working individually and as part of a team
Assessment
The course is assessed both internally and externally.
Internal assessment is based on the Production Portfolio (a student’s completed film project and its accompanying documentation (at HL this includes a trailer). Students are evaluated in their performance in a chosen role. More details of the roles and requirements can be found here.
External assessment consists of a) the Independent study (rationale, script and list of sources for a short documentary production on an aspect of film theory and/or film history, based on particular films from more than one country), and b) the Presentation (an oral presentation of a detailed critical analysis of a continuous extract from a prescribed film).
Students will be encouraged to develop skills in critical thinking and reflective analysis, while engaging in the art and craft of film.
PART 1
In Textual Analysis students will learn to deconstruct and comment on various aspects of film, including representation, narrative, editing and sequencing, target audience, camera angles, shots and movements and features determining genre.
Areas of study will include
* Observing and questioning all the elements that create meaning, including acting, directing, lighting, cinematography, mise-en-scene.
* Understanding how the film fits into the larger context of its social, historical, cultural and political environment.
* Researching a film’s genre, audience as well as its historical, institutional, and socio-cultural significance.
PART 2
In Film Theory and History, students will be encouraged to question film, considering a variety of aspects including
* Who made the film?
* Why?
* How does the film address the audience?
* How does the audience engage with the film?
Topics covered include Early Cinema, Film Noir, Gender Theory, Auteur Theory and Psychoanalytical Film Theory.
PART 3
Throughout Creative Process, students will also consider the different stages in film making, from initial and technical planning, to the physical production, concluding with post-production, and all that is involved along the way, in addition to completing several practical production projects, focusing on specific areas of the creative process, which will include
* Creative expression through film
* Developing professional skills
* Developing technical skills
* Working individually and as part of a team
Assessment
The course is assessed both internally and externally.
Internal assessment is based on the Production Portfolio (a student’s completed film project and its accompanying documentation (at HL this includes a trailer). Students are evaluated in their performance in a chosen role. More details of the roles and requirements can be found here.
External assessment consists of a) the Independent study (rationale, script and list of sources for a short documentary production on an aspect of film theory and/or film history, based on particular films from more than one country), and b) the Presentation (an oral presentation of a detailed critical analysis of a continuous extract from a prescribed film).