Silence is used after an attack to create a sense of tension and suspense, leaving us no option but to carry on watching the film, and to want to know what happens next. It also provides the audience with a moment for the drama to sink in.
Spielberg kept the audience on tender hooks by showing the first two attacks close together. In the Alex Kintner attack the camera’s first shot is of Broody looking attentively at what is around him. We immediately connect with Brody, as we know there is something out there and so does he. So we identify with him.
Point of view shots give the impression that you are in that character's shoes and you see what he sees in other shots, with high and low angle shots; subjects look either grand and threatening or helpless and vulnerable. Close ups are used to show a character’s facial expressions. Long shots are used to show where the action is taking place or to make a figure appear small and isolated. This is used to great effect prior to and after the shark attacks.
There are also different camera movements in Jaws for different effects, such as tracking, meaning to follow a subject. Pan; panning is pivoting the camera side to side to scan the scene. Whip pan is a fast version of a pan. Each of these techniques is used in the Alex Kintner scene. Everyone running out of the water is another good shot. This uses a scrambled camera angle, which is where the keeps switching from one subject to another. This conveys a feeling of chaos. With all the different camera angles the tension is heightened as his mother looks desperately around for him, but discovers only the bloodstained and torn lilo. The scene appears to quieten, but then the yellow bloodstained lilo washes up on the beach, in a high angle shot, which makes the lilo look helpless and vulnerable, as the boy was in the attack.
Characters reactions are used to create tension by close ups; you can really see the fear in their eyes. I believe there is only one person we really connect with in this film and that is Brody. He knows something is out in the open water and it will do anything to get its food. In the Alex Kintner attack Brody pays close attention to the water, impelling we do the same. When Alex gets attack we get a close up of Brody and his reaction to the attack, using a contra-zoom. We also get this screeching music. Again showing how the music works well with the camera.
The shark shows both strength and perseverance. The shark also has its strength demonstrated during the post mortem when the marine specialist comments that the attack was not frenzied. This implies that the shark was just feeding normally, with a cold blooded killer instinct. This causes more fear in the audience as the shark is remorseless and can kill whom it wishes. The terror is also built on by the characters’ reactions to the shark. Brody's reaction is to close the beaches, but the Mayor will not have that and keeps the beaches open. This means the shark has a plentiful food supply and will keep coming back, until the food supply has dried up. Another action that builds fear is the reaction of the children during the second attack, when they all rush out of the ocean screaming. This builds fear as the audiences think that there may be another attack on the fleeing children.
The story is put together to create tension and fear of the shark. After the first attack the audience is conditioned and the other attacks generally follow the same pattern. The third attack is set up like the second attack. The beaches are open for the fourth of July and people do not go in the sea. Then the Mayor encourages families to go swimming and everyone else follows suit. Tension is built up here when you see a camera above water, looking at the faces of terrified people. This creates tension, as the audience believes the shark is going to kill someone else.
The story is put together to create tension and fear of the shark. After the first attack the audience is conditioned and the other attacks generally follow the same pattern. The third attack is set up like the second attack. The beaches are open for the fourth of July and people do not go in the sea. Then the Mayor encourages families to go swimming and everyone else follows suit. Tension is built up here when you see a camera above water, looking at the faces of terrified people. This creates tension, as the audience believes the shark is going to kill someone else.
Jaws is almost as much about red herrings as it is great white sharks. A red herring is something that is thrown in to take you off the scent of what is really going on. Whole sequences (the second and third beach attacks) are structured around them, but we are kept alert by other minor examples throughout the film. Brody's son Michael is set up in a similar manner three times: once on the pond; once in a boat on a jetty; and early in the film when he rushes off to go swimming after Chrissie's attack.
In the Alex Kintner attack we had two red herrings; the lady who went in the water and the man who went underneath her and the girl who screamed. These red herrings keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through the film.
The first two being close together created suspense, as we believe future attacks will always be close together. We see point of view shots but no music; this means there will be no attack. The director really wants us to believe that the shark will only come with the music. Significantly he does not in the last scene when Brody troughs out the chum. The attack on the fourth of July involving Brody’s son creates lots of tension, as we have connected with Brody. This is a key scene, I felt scared and nervous for his son, as Brody would have done in that scene. This also a key scene as we see the shark for the first time in full. This is a very tense feeling as we have a false alarm, red herrings and the police with the guns and helicopters making it extremely tense. The last section is extremely important. This is where most of the tension is created, as we know something will happen and we know we will see the shark again in full. The audience also see how the three main characters pull together to achieve their goals.
In my conclusion, the scariest moment in the film was the last section when Quint, Brody and Hopper go out on a little fishing boat to catch and kill the shark. I already know the damage this shark can do so therefore feared for the characters’ safety. When Quint is talking to Brody, and Brody is throwing out the chum, all of a sudden the shark’s head emerges out of the water. This made me jump because I was waiting for the music to cue the shark’s arrival. When that did not happen it scared me and made me jump. Quint starts to tell us stories about his days when he was in the USS and on a secret mission and sharks were eating all of his friends because they were wearing life jacket. His friends who did not wear life jackets drowned and consequently died quicker.
His story sets us up for something that happens later on in the film. Hopper goes in to the shark cage. We believe he will be safe until he drops the tranquilliser to kill the shark. I believed that Hopper was killed when the shark attacked the cage, leaving Brody to fight the shark and get back to shore alone. I thought the oat was going to sink right at the last minute and Brody would die despite all his brave attempts to kill the shark. The tension really starts to happen here as the shark draws nearer and nearer, Brody’s quick thinking and actions helped him to defeat the shark.
Steven Spielberg’s use of camera angles and shots plus the dramatic and chilling music in a repetitive manner, builds suspense and fear of what will happen next. The final dramatic scene when it almost becomes a battle of mind of muscle (Brody v The shark)
Is a truly brilliant piece of direction. As history has shown, the effects on the audiences at the horrific scenes in the film, have left a long lasting effect on peoples perception of sharks and fear of swimming in the sea.
Analysing How Steven Spielberg Creates Tension and Suspense in jaws