Spielberg, who uses a clever combination of camera angles and music, is a master at building up tension throughout. For example, when shooting beneath the ocean, he uses mid shot angles, in order to suggest importance, and to illustrate the ruthlessness of the shark, as the shark is the only object in the shot. In fact, Spielberg used a midget to shoot many of the underwater shark scenes, so that the shot could be caught from the midget’s perspective, the end result being a shark seeming much larger than it in fact was.
Another fantastic way in which Spielberg captured our attention, was the extensive use of red herrings! Now, don’t tell me that when you watched ‘Jaws’, you weren’t disappointed when he used these, for instance, the young couple frolicking about in the water. This is done intentionally so that when it does come to the action scenes, we are actually enticed and hungry for the blood and gore! What I find particularly amazing about this film, is the fact that despite an incredibly low budget of $7,000,000 – it has still managed to be one of the top grossing films in history!
Without a doubt, Spielberg is a master when it comes to visual effects! He brings optical delight into an entire new league. A prime example of these stunning visual treats is the wide range of camera angles that he uses – in order to highlight or draw attention to something, usually the shark. This is particularly evident in the first scene, when he uses a point of view shot of the shark wading through the sea weeds; teamed up with the epic music, this builds up an extreme amount of tension that really makes the audience hungry and eager for more! I for one was keen to see what was to come! Immediately after the underwater scene, the music stops, and the camera moves to a small party on the beach, only the sound of the mouth organ being played can be heard. Relaxed. The juxtaposition used here is incredible! One minute we see the miscreant swimming through ocean weeds, hoping to see him pounce on an unsuspecting victim, only to be disappointed! However, what comes next satisfies our hunger for blood and gore…
Silence in the ocean. Nothing can be seen, or heard, other than a girl skinny dipping in the ocean, the sounds of the waves crashing up against the beach, and the sea bell attached to the buoy swinging from side to side. This in itself is a fantastic dramatic device: the lack of sound here draws attention to the idea that the victim is about to see their demise and is also in a situation of extreme vulnerability, also, a long shot is used in this particular scene – which is especially effective as it shows the magnitude of the ocean and how incredibly alone the girl is. And suddenly, without warning… ‘duuh-dum, duuh-dum duuh-dum’. You’re gripped! Hook, line and sinker. A low angle from the ocean sees nothing but the mindless skinny dippers bare body undulating in the water, perhaps to suggest the helplessness she faces, followed by a track shot, that shows the shark is following the girl; a relentless effort that will lead to a gruesome death. Next, a zoom in; this emphasizes the helplessness of the situation that she is in. Finally, our relief! A high angle from above the ocean shows the girl being pulled under and bitten from below. Her screams, along with the thrashing of the water around the shark, are the only things that can be heard! Pure brilliance on the big screen! Come on… surely you can’t say you weren’t sat on the edge of your seat, gripped in suspense?
I think one of the prime aspects that makes this film such a classic, are the stunning visual effects used! Spielberg and his team clearly paid so much attention to detail when shooting the film. Were you aware of the fact that real shark footage was used, in order to legitimise the film, and give it a sense of realism? I for one am confident that this endeavour proved to the director’s advantage, how can you not agree? However, understandably, a mechanical shark is used in some of the scenes, such as where we see the shark actually come out of the water; most of these scenes were shot in Martha’s Vineyard, which had a sandy bottom even 12 miles out at sea, which especially benefited the mechanics of the shark. Shooting at sea led to many delays: unwanted sailboats drifted into frame, cameras were soaked, and the Orca once began to sink with the actors onboard! The mechanical shark frequently malfunctioned, due to the hydraulic innards being corroded by salt water. The three mechanical sharks were collectively nicknamed ‘Bruce’ by the production team after Spielberg's lawyer. Disgruntled crew members gave the film the nickname "Flaws". Is it not amazing that despite all of these problems, and everything possible going wrong… Spielberg still managed to persevere and shoot one of the greatest films of all time? I think it’s safe to say that Spielberg’s fantastic direction goes a long way into making this film the successful beast that it is today!
Red herrings, (appropriately named!), are essential to the building up of tension used throughout. Notice how Spielberg doesn’t use the epic music in these red herring scenes, and how he saves it specifically for the high action scenes. Absolute brilliance! This is the reason for which the scene where we first see the shark is so shocking; the lack of sound here really captures the fact that neither the audience or Chief Brody are expecting such a monstrous shark to dive out of the sea! What I find particularly great, and comical, about this scene, is the fact that the sheer size of the shark completely legitimizes Chief Brody’s ultimatum: ‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat!’
As you are most likely to know, plenty of (in my opinion completely ignorant!) people claim that Jaws is simply a shoddy excuse of a horror film packed with even shoddier special effects. Such ‘film fanatics’ are clearly clueless as to the pristine production that went into making this cult classic. Were you aware of the fact that the first attack scene was shot using the actress wearing cut off levi jeans, attached to long ropes that were attached to men on the shore, who strategically ran about in a bid to create the jerking affect seen on screen – a feat that proved extremely successful in the shot? I think you’ll agree that such low-budget special effects are 100% successful in creating a ‘first of its kind’ classic.
Aside from the story itself, and the innovative visual effects (of which Spielberg is an expert), I think you’ll agree that what the screenplay represents is outstanding: how the audience can relate to chief Brody, feeling out of place in a new setting, having to balance a new job around a frustrated wife, and two children. Also, the presence of Quint is important in the story line; not only do we have a sense of admiration for Quint, because of his mysterious demeanor at the beginning, but the fact that he recalls such a heart rending account of his own experiences with sharks back in the war makes us empathize with him. For this reason, in the high action scene where Quint is actually eaten ALIVE, by the shark, we actually mourn the death of him, along with the other characters on board!
