Firstly, in Jaws Steven Spielberg uses diegetic sound to build tension especially in the second attack. Diegetic sound is where you can see a source for the sound on screen. Before the attack, people were talking calmly in a relaxed tone. Happy and relaxed music was playing and people were laughing and singing, creating a calm peaceful atmosphere. As the attack looms, the diegetic sounds become louder and negative Screams come from the girl that’s involved in the false alarm, building tension. Suddenly the soundtrack comes on which is a deep distinctive ‘Duh duh’, which signifies to the audience the killer is in the area and approaching danger. Diegetic sound changes from positive to negative, and builds maximum suspense and tension.
This clever technique of using non diegetic sound is very effective to the audience. Non diegetic sound is where there is no source for the sound. There are many times in the thriller, where non diegetic sound is used, one example is in scene 2 (the second attack.) All of a sudden you hear the catchy ‘duh duh’ and even though you can’t physically see the shark, you immediately know it’s nearby. It makes you feel like you’re in the position of Alex, who doesn’t know the shark’s there, which makes you feel even more worried. The pace of the music increases and you definitely know the attack is soon to come. John Williams composed this score, simply alternating between two notes- E and F.
Throughout Jaws, Spielberg uses a variety of different camera angles for effect, many in scene two. Firstly he uses a lot of close up. This shows detail and facial expressions. One example of when Steven Spielberg uses close up is when Brody is in a conversation with an old man. The camera jumps from a close up on Brody to the old man but is focusing on the water. This clearly shows Brody is anxious and under pressure through his facial expressions and body language. It also tells us Brody is focusing on what’s going on in the water and not what the old man is saying.
The most effective camera angle I think is the low camera angle. For example in the second attack, Spielberg uses a low camera angle under the water giving the impression that the audience can see what the shark can see. This impacts the audience making then feel scared and worried. It also shows exactly what can see and exactly when Alex is going to be attacked.
Spielberg uses a range of colours in scene two mainly to build a tense atmosphere. Towards the beginning of the clip, calm blues and sunny yellows are used (clothing, sun, sand) to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere. Red then begins to appear more which is a sign of danger, impacting the audience. The colour red (boys shorts, blood) is a strong, shocking, bold colour compared to the neutral blues and yellows. The suspense suddenly builds up, with the help of colours and the soundtrack, to the shocking shark attack.
I think the high points of tension in the film, are where you can see in the shark’s view. For example in the first attack, you watch in the shark’s point of view. As the shark is swimming there are a lot of weeds in the way, which makes me agitated and anxious. When the camera tracks the shark, you know exactly when the shark is going to attack and the music with it makes it the scariest part of the film.
In conclusion, I think Steven Spielberg used filmic devises like camera angles, diegetic and non diegetic sound and music very successfully to entertain the audience and to build tension and suspense.