There are many talented and idea-filled filmmakers at UWC Changshu China (CSC), and what “success” means varies for everyone. I’ve simply gone through the whole IB Film journey and want to share some personal experiences and thoughts.
First, an overview. Like many film programs at this level, IB Film develops and assesses students’ theoretical analysis and production skills. I think this is a well-designed curriculum, especially for beginners in film, as developing both areas is crucial and often complementary. This introduction will also address these two sections.
Theory
IB assessment: textual analysis (hl 20%, sl 30%), comparative study (hl 20%, sl 30%)
Textual analysis
As the name suggests, this involves analyzing a text. It has a 1750-word limit (excluding screenshots/citations) and requires analyzing a 5-minute film extract in conjunction with its cultural context. Each year, IB releases a new film list, which includes both recurring selections and new additions, comprehensively covering various genres, themes, directors, regions, and periods. Students select a film from this list (there’s a limit on how many students in a cohort can pick the same film) and then pick a continuous 5-minute extract. The writing process involves researching the film’s cultural context, followed by a close textual analysis of the extract (the writing style is quite similar to Language Paper 1), ultimately focusing on how the film reflects this cultural context.
Comparative study
For this, you select a film focus (e.g., genre, technique, theme) and two films by different directors from different periods to conduct a comparative analysis. The final presentation is a video essay, with a 10-minute time limit. At its core, a video essay is still an essay, so academic depth and rigor are crucial. The narration script, however, allows you to convey information alongside visual images, which is very intuitive when analyzing specific scenes. You can look at common online film analysis videos for inspiration on the format. This assessment also evaluates your ability to select appropriate footage and your editing skills.
The final version of the textual analysis is due in the first semester of DP2. However, before submitting the final version to IB, you’ll have about three practice submissions starting from the first semester of DP1, which count as summative assessments towards your semester grades. The comparative study is completed in the second semester of DP1. There will also be corresponding practice tasks for this, though you won’t need to complete full versions besides the final one. I feel that both of these (what I’d call) theory assessments demand strong academic skills, including in-depth critical thinking, analytical argumentation, and academic writing. And honestly, the first step to doing well is to invest enough time and effort. If you treat them as serious academic projects, you should be fine. Also, Louis (the current IB Film teacher, and he’s not going anywhere soon!) is a very responsible and organized teacher. If you stick to his deadlines, you won’t find yourself lost on how to write something or unable to submit. To be most efficient, though, it’s a good idea to clarify his expectations for the assessment and the best writing structure before you start writing. Submitting your first draft before the deadline is also pretty important because Louis provides very detailed feedback, and since he’s an IB examiner, his comments are always directly tied to the grading criteria. During these projects, class time is also set aside for writing, and Louis typically calls students over one by one to discuss ideas or give individual feedback. Ultimately, I think what matters most is diligently working through the process.
Learning theory
I personally got into film through theory, and considering most of us choose film because we love it, this might be a pretty common entry point. As you can tell from the introduction above, textual analysis skills are really important for IB Film. For beginners, check out this website: filmanalysis.yale.edu. It has super detailed introductions to various film techniques and how to analyze them – you’ll pretty much grasp the basics after one read-through. Theory can also be an exploration of film as a vessel for culture, society, history, aesthetics, and ideas. I think a good way to learn is by following film history (many university film theory courses start with several sessions on film history, and an older student once suggested starting with the 8 major film movements). To truly learn film, you should try to understand it from the inside, even behind the scenes. Reviewing film history gives you a fundamental, overarching concept of this art form, including the evolution of storytelling, innovations in visual language, film’s relationship with society, and so on. Following the historical timeline to watch works by directors from different periods and movements is also a great approach; watching lots of films is key to developing visual sensitivity and cinematic thinking. Beyond that, you can delve into theoretical books (feel free to pick and choose sections that grab your interest). A Companion to Film Theory is a good introductory resource, and Film: A Critical Introduction by Maria Pramaggiore & Tom Wallis is a very comprehensive textbook. For more advanced reading, Film Theory & Criticism by Leo Braudy & Marshall Cohen is a classic collection directly featuring historically significant essays on film development. If you’re really keen, you could also read books by Deleuze, Bordwell, André Bazin, and others, but those are probably well beyond the scope of IB!
Production
IB assessment: film portfolio (hl 25%, sl 40%), collaborative film project (hl only 35%)
Film portfolio
This includes one complete 3-minute film where you take a main production role, and two secondary production roles, each featuring 2-3 films (which can be extracts) totaling 3 minutes. This makes for a total of 9 minutes of film reel. Additionally, there are 3 portfolio pages for each production role, amounting to 9 portfolio pages in total (no limits on images or word count, excluding citations).
HL collaborative film
A complete film, up to 7 minutes long, which must not include non-original music or sound effects. Also, a project report: a maximum of 2000 words, up to 20 pages, with no image limit (excluding citations).
The frequency of shooting films for IB Film is quite high, I’d say? Generally, you’ll need to shoot 2-3 formal, complete films per semester. Plus, there are regular in-class exercises focusing on specific techniques (like being given a one-page script to design shots and shoot, sound design, lighting, editing skills, etc.), as well as film challenges such as Babel 48 (filming within 48 hours based on specified prompts, lines, and film techniques). So, there are tons of hands-on opportunities. IB provides 5 selectable production roles: scriptwriter, director, cinematographer, editor, and sound designer. Group size really depends on you, but from experience, it’s usually best to have separate people serving as director, cinematographer, and sound on set, otherwise, things can get pretty chaotic. The school’s equipment is quite comprehensive, including cameras, audio recording devices, tripods, stabilizers, lighting (both flat white light panels and colored light sticks are available), clapperboards 🎬, and so on. That said, the school’s cameras are pretty basic, so a lot of people use their own. A higher-quality personal tripod might also offer a smoother experience, but the school’s equipment is definitely sufficient.
I’m personally not a production whiz, so I’m purely offering some personal experience. For beginners, I feel it’s really important to clarify the responsibilities of each role and understand the entire production workflow. Back in summer school, I initially found professional production procedures overly cumbersome, but as I filmed more and more, I realized that if you want to achieve quality in visuals, sound, narration, and so on, these divisions of labor and processes are absolutely critical. Holding yourself to professional standards, whether you ultimately meet them or not, certainly won’t hurt. Another thing is that beginners often feel overwhelmed by the really technical production details – the parameters and usage of various cameras and editing software can seem super challenging. But honestly, the basic functions of this equipment are quite easy to pick up. You can just start using them and keep practicing; improving production skills definitely comes down to practice. In your free time, you can also use your camera a lot, play around with color grading, or edit some short clips. My personal goal is for each film I shoot to be a little bit better than the last one – for instance, learning one new technique, or making one aspect more professional. You might only improve in one area at a time, but accumulating these small improvements means by DP2, you’ll be significantly better than when you first started filming.
A bit more about roles and division of labor: honestly, everyone has different strengths in production. For example, I personally feel I’m idea-oriented, while others might be more focused on cinematography, editing, rhythm, or scriptwriting. It’s just a different way of approaching production. When forming a team, try to find friends whose skills complement yours or who have similar ideas. As I mentioned, team size depends on you, but it’s best not to have too few people (I’ve always been in small teams, and while there are perks like easier communication, one person ends up shouldering much more, sometimes even the entire production process. While this can give you a “holistic view” and improve skills in different areas, it’s incredibly draining). Plus, more people generally mean more room for constructive criticism and suggestions. Also, I personally feel that filmmaking needs to be treated as a very serious endeavor. Beginners might approach it with a relaxed, even playful attitude (everyone does, and the inherent “fun” of film shouldn’t be stripped away!), but it’s a bit disastrous if you still lack structural concepts when you’re filming in DP2. I’ve also noticed that people often have a big misconception about the “director” role at first, subconsciously thinking of it as a higher leadership position. But I personally believe a director’s role shouldn’t be about leading; it’s more about defining the film’s direction and soul, requiring more humility and sincerity. As a creator, you should know what the film needs to express and pursue, what you want the audience to feel, what emotions or thoughts the visuals need to convey, and how the film’s story, visuals, and sound will deliver these. If you can’t even convince yourself, how can you possibly direct others? Film is essentially an art form and should be studied with the attitude of studying art (of course, you could argue it’s entertainment, or somewhere in between, but even entertainment has intricate structures behind it). So, I personally feel that film is far greater than IB; you probably need to focus more on how to learn film itself rather than just how to succeed in IB. Film itself demands insight, sincerity, emotion, and an exploration and reflection on people and human nature. To quote Tarkovsky: “A director serves the film, not the other way around”.
One final point: even if the quality of your actual production isn’t top-tier, a significant portion of the marks for these two assignments comes from the portfolio. So, you really need to write your portfolio well. My little piece of advice, consistent with what I said about the theory section, is that it can be much less academic – focusing mainly on why you filmed it and how you filmed it.
So, welcome to IB Film!