How does steven speilberg use filmic techniques to build tension and suspense in jaws

How does the director Steven Spielberg use filmic techniques to build suspense and tension for the audience in the film Jaws?

Steven Speilberg directed the epic blockbuster film,Jaws, alongside producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck. He is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and undoubtedly one of the most influential personalities in the history of filmmaking. Additionally, Spielberg is the highest grossing filmmaker of all time and his movies have earned in the region of four billion dollars internationally! He is also eminent for the direction of numerous other films after the release of Jaws, such as: E.T The Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan. Over the span of his career, Spielberg’s films have approached a diverse array of themes and genres. Throughout his earlier years, his adventure and sci-fi films were often renowned as typical of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking; though in his later years as a director, he incorporated aspects of historical concern: war, slavery, terrorism and the Holocaust.

The plot and events occurring throughout the course of Jaws were based upon the best-selling novel written by Peter Benchley. His previous works included the books: Island, Creature and The Beast-though none of these matched the success of Jaws. Benchley was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks which took place during the summer of 1916- in New Jersey. Unlike the film, which is a taut and cerebral thriller, the novel is an entertaining account of the genuine outcome of having a giant killer shark sucking the economy dry. Whilst the film is suggestive and direct, the novel is explicit and somewhat convoluted, including subplots of mafia relations in the community, marital infidelity and an implication of supernatural influence. The novel was then directed by Spielberg and adapted by Universal Studios for motion pictures. If there was ever any justification for being petrified of sticking a toe in the ocean, it's Jaws! The tagline for the film, "Don't go in the water," indeed kept a lot of 1975 summer beachgoers and shark-hysterical swimmers wary; the film generated hysteria amid masses.

Jaws was originally released in 1975, with use of a combination of methods which build suspense, tension and startle the audience. The tag line of the movie ‘Don’t go in the water’ successfully sums up the plot, tone and overall theme of the film and creates an interest for those who want to discover the dangers lurking amongst the waters. Spielberg integrates several factors that construct the film and impact the audience: a variety of camera angles to show facial expressions, diegetic and non diegetic sounds and precise organisation of the set and mise en scene. This allows the audience to associate signs and symbols with certain events; for instance, yellow is used as a signifier throughout the film. Historically, Spielberg was the first person to direct a "human vs. shark" film! In general, Jaws follows the novel from which it derives its title, however Spielberg downplayed certain aspects of the plot in favour of suspense and action. It has been regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history and became one of the first high concept films. The classification rating for Spielberg’s film is age twelve, due to the general suspense, tension and overall petrifying and horrific scenes. Jaws is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, including holding the title of number forty eight on American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies. Spielberg's masterpiece–arguably his best work- set the benchmark for summertime blockbusters and so far few have been able to match its sheer ability to grip an audience. The film received many critics, some saying "it's a white-knuckle ride into terror” and others saying "Jaws has changed the course of film making." However, generally most people concur that the film stood the test of time and will never be forgotten.

Amity Island is the fictional setting for the film Jaws, which was filmed at a traditional summer holiday retreat known as Martha’s Vineyard and became the site of the dramatic series of shark attacks. Martha’s Vineyard is an island situated off the south of Cape Cod, New England, in the United States of America. This was an ideal filming location, as beach resorts are intended to be ideal places for tourists to escape their hectic daily lives; though in Jaws, the visiting tourists got more than they bargained for. The audience are later enlightened the name Amity, somewhat paradoxically, is recognised to mean friendly!

The film tells a tale, where the once peaceful neighbourhood of Amity Island has been terrorised by a malicious and repugnant great white shark, which vanquished the serenity and shattered the peace-devastating the whole community around it. The beast’s relentless behaviour posed a colossal threat to the island’s economy-especially with the 4th July was soon approaching. It was manifest that measures had to be taken to prevent it from rampaging through the tourist teeming waters. However, the town’s Mayor, Larry Vaughn, and the tourist board remained adamant that the beaches stayed open for the public holiday-which commemorated American Independence Day. This celebration honours the birth of the USA and it's independence from Britain; though the escalation of fear had begun to detrimentally impact the amount of holiday-makers arriving at the resort. Therefore it soon became apparent that if the beaches weren’t going to close, it was up to Police Chief Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper and fisherman Quint to pursue the menace and put an end to the bloodshed-protecting otherwise oblivious tourists.

The musical overture at the beginning of the film gives the audience a taster of what to expect throughout the movie; this builds an anticipation of excitement and thrills. There have been several other movies (which were also followed by sequels) that have instantly recognisable overtures, for instance: James Bond, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. The overture at the beginning of Jaws allows the audience to feel Spielberg’s extreme attention to the mood of the first scenes, which is a crucial element of audience reception.

The opening sequence of Jaws is lengthy and lasts for an entire five minutes. The Universal logo is the first to appear on screen as the movie opens, which quickly fades into the backdrop, plunging the audience into complete darkness for several seconds- showing that Spielberg had grasped the primal aspect of a darkened theatre. Non-diegetic music is used throughout this scene and mysterious and disturbing sounds permeate the theatre, before abruptly disappearing. This can be compared to the behaviour of a shark, leisurely circling its prey, vanishing without warning and then ambushing the victim from an unknown quarter. Following the brief silence, the same two notes return, followed by another short silence and a repetition of the exact two notes-F and F sharp. Again silence followed, with a repetition of the notes again and six additional notes performed crescendo. This creates the effect whereby the audience feel that something threatening is approaching closer and closer-though nothing among this nature is actually visible. The use of crescendo creates a feeling of movement and distance, transforming the sounds into a highly visual element. This famous shark theme was composed by John William Ives and today it remains a highly recognised sequence of music.

Jaws submerges the audience into a world of sounds, before imagery even appears on screen. This is a highly effective technique used by Spielberg, which conjures up many images for audiences with imaginative minds and engrosses them in the film. The overture can be said to announce how the film is organised; music often leads to images and some specific sounds often lead to the introduction of music. For instance, when the corpse of a young girl is found by Brody’s assistant, he uses a whistle to alert Brody, which is soon followed by the famous music. This is used as an extension of the whistle, which symbolises a reaction to the horror and dismay of the situation.

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The composer aims to grab the attention of the audience, showing the tone of the spectacle before the curtain opens; the music ends as darkness breaks and bursts forth into the opening scene of the movie. The opening shot shows underwater imagery with vivid seaweed in a surrealistic close-up. This sequence was shot during daylight hours. The camera appears to move in the ocean current like a panicked crowd, creating the impression of moving through a dense jungle. The chaotic movement of the seaweed foreshadows the disorder and danger to come. When the movie title appears on screen, the pace of the music gradually increases and becomes more frightening for the audience. At this point, the tone of the music and visual imagery informs the audience that the point of view is that of a monster-rather than a swimmer. The camera appears to drift along the ocean floor, causing audiences to experience the feeling of being the hunter, as though they are seeking their prey. The image used is ‘obsessive’ because it is a one shot scene with no cuts.

The music used repeatedly throughout Jaws resembles a person’s heart beat, almost ‘mirroring’ the audiences’ body and engrossing them as if they were inside the film. Spielberg has used this technique to build tension, interest the audience further and increase the suspense of the movie; this therefore holds the audiences attention so they continue watching. Within the film, the audience observes and almost experiences one of their worst nightmares-the return of prehistoric creatures-where the mammoth shark appears to have returned from prehistory.

Unlike the opening sequence, the next shot is filmed at night and has nothing in common with the first. Within the beginning few minutes of Jaws, Spielberg has made the audience dive into a cold, bitter and daunting underwater world, though this image is abruptly cut and interrupted. Spielberg then makes the audience face something entirely different; an image depicting youngsters huddled around a fire-who are unaware of the immediate tragedy. The aim of the first shot is to inform the audience of the dangers, whilst the characters remain oblivious to what lies ahead-this is a use of dramatic irony. Meanwhile, a harmonica player is heard and another young man is seen strumming the guitar in the backdrop. This is a use of diegetic music. There is a calm, tranquil atmosphere and these instruments don’t evoke the violence expressed by the main title music. However, they are incorporated to reinforce the frustration of the audience, who remain powerless to prevent the impending slaughter.

Throughout this scene, both the beginning and ending are brought back to equilibrium; where the calm and peace is restored. This scene incorporates many features of a stereotypical thriller: tension building background music, the female character as the victim and the other character (who has the capability to save her) completely overlooking the situation altogether. Prior to the attack, shot reverse shot is used between the male and the female to illustrate the sexual attraction between them. The sounds within the scene are particularly well thought out; subtle and compelling sounds are used to signify certain things. For instance, the soon to be shark attack victim (Chrissie) almost instantaneously turns her head in the direction of a seagull cry. Then as if the bird had ‘called her’ she stood up and ran towards the ocean, whilst undressing herself and leaving her body completely exposed, enforcing a sense of vulnerability. The camera shows Chrissie swimming out alone in the ocean, using a long high-angle shot. The diegetic music which had previously accompanied her had been faded out. This built suspense, causing audiences to feel anxiety.

The editing of this sequence uses quick, fast paced, frantic cuts of shots from different angles. Majority of the scene is shot from the shark’s perspective, indicating in which direction the menace is coming from and reinforcing Chrissie’s helplessness. This also builds additional tension because the attack seems inevitable and causes the audience to automatically question ‘will there be a fatality this early on in the movie?'. Spielberg immediately shows the killing of Chrissie to demonstrate the sheer power of the shark and this gives connotations of evil. Additionally this shows that the signature music means that the shark is either nearing or about to attack. The camera gives the audience the shark’s eye view, looking at the dangling legs of its prey. In conjuncture with the underwater imagery the music returns, alerting the audience that indeed something traumatic is going to follow. Cross-cutting is used during the attack scene, which glimpses back at the boy lying peacefully on the beach. This technique provides the audience with a slight glimmer of hope that the he may spot the commotion and come to her aid. Within Jaws, Spielberg chose to use a whole orchestra-which came at quite a cost. Therefore the technique of using a simple ‘eruption’ of music startles the audience and alerts them that the scene is likely to end in catastrophe because the director has gone to this trouble. The tempo of the music increases quickly as the camera approaches the girl and gives reality to the shark’s jaws-which Spielberg has prevented the audience from seeing. The beginning of the music begins quietly, gradually becoming louder and louder until the climatic ending-which becomes silent once again. Spielberg successfully uses this technique as a representation of her death. The scene ends harshly and the young woman suddenly submerges as if the ocean- or more precisely the beast-had swallowed her whole. This is emphasised by the camera shot which gradually fades out and the music is replaced by a horrific silence which shows that all the chaos has disappeared.

Throughout the movie, Spielberg has incorporated a signifier which appears in close connection with the shark attacks. The colour yellow was worn by various characters that were either killed or impacted by the events. Ironically, this specific colour has connotations of joy and happiness. For example: the dog owners t-shirt, Alex’s lilo, his mothers hat and two quick flashes of yellow which also appeared on screen. This technique has been used by Spielberg to allow the more observant viewers to recognise when an event is about to occur.

Jaws introduces the audience to Martin Brody (the principal character of the film) played by Roy Scheider. He is the newly appointed police chief of Amity, who came to the Island to escape the hassles of the New York lifestyle. However, this soon backfired when the coroner alerted him about the shark infested waters when the mutilated body a young swimmer (who the audience know as Chrissie) washed up on shore. Spielberg specifically chose Scheider, who was at the pinnacle of his career in the mid-to late 1970s, to play this part. He brought a sense of humanity to his character and this made it easy for audiences to identify with him. Following the discovery of the young girl, Brody requested the assistance of a shark expert from the mainland. In response to this, Matt Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) examined the corpse and confirmed that it was indeed a shark attack. This frustrated the mayor and his response to the situation causes audiences to develop a negative opinion of him. Although he was not a famous actor at the time, Dreyfuss infuses his character with energy, charm and dry-wit. Following confirmation of the cause of death, Broody hired a mid aged man known as Quint-who had experience as both a fisherman and a highly experienced shark hunter. The actor who played Quint (Robert Shaw) was actually not Spielberg’s first choice for this part and it was initially offered to Lee Marvin. Nevertheless, Shaw infused his character with a unique personality and mannerisms.

The scene involving the shark’s second and third attack was filmed at Joseph Sylvia State beach and began with a young boy, Alex, and focused upon him throughout. He was seen walking up from the shore towards his mother who was wearing yellow hat-indeed signifying disaster. A tracking shot was used to follow his every move, which implied that he’d play a vital role in the sequence. This leads the audience to believe, for a split second, that he’ll be the only fatality during this scene. However, for a brief moment the camera focuses on a man with his dog. Alike Alex’s mother, the dog owner was wearing yellow-in the form of a t-shirt to be more precise. Much of Jaws is an exercise in elevating tension and this scene is no exception, as the audience are given a numerous potential targets. Spielberg then uses a high angle long shot as both Alex and the dog dash into the ocean, building tension and suspense and causing audiences to contemplate who will be harmed first. The audience see shark the shark’s point of view, which shows many of the swimmers from beneath and is similar to the scene where Chrissie was mutilated. At this point the camera switches to a mid-shot of Brody, who looks on anxiously. He appears to be almost convinced that something is disastrous is going to take place. Alike Brody, the audience are prepared for the tragic events that are soon to follow. The camera then briefly refocuses on the dog owner using a mid-shot, who was calling ‘Pippet’ repeatedly with no response. It becomes evident to the audience that this indeed is his dog’s name, implying that the animal had been slaughter by the shark. The use of cinematic techniques such as: camera shots, edits, colour, lighting, sound and mise en scene help to prepare the audience for the climax in this particular scene. Colour and lighting are used successfully in preparing the audience for the climax. At the beginning of the scene the ambience on the beach is pleasant and sunny; the scene is made to feel realistic with use of natural lighting that allows the audience to feel involved. Though as the scene progresses, the lighting appears to dim as the shark approaches and has connotations of danger and an increasing sense of insecurity.

A series of camera zooms and jump cuts are used, which build tension, as Brody continued to watch for disturbances on the shore. Though for a brief moment an older sunburnt man had stood blocking his view (who attempted to converse with Brody) heightening the audience’s tension. A point of view shot then followed as Brody desperately attempted to view over his shoulder; this technique allows the audience to experience his frustration. Jaws uses a series of fake attacks, which aim to baffle and astonish the audience. The effect of this direction combined with clever editing, lulls viewers into relaxing at precisely the wrong moments and engrosses viewers for the whole duration of the movie. From Brody’s point of view, the audience views a young woman who appears to be attacked, though they are soon made aware that it was merely a male companion. This builds suspense, creates a sense of anxiety and keeps the audience engrossed in the film. The use of false attacks creates a sense of the unexpected and lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. Therefore when a genuine attack occurs, the horror is magnified and combined with shock and disbelief. This incident aims to shock the audience just as much as it does Brody. This particular shot shows swimmers who were frolic in the water and a young boy in the distance-who was splashing on a yellow raft. He appeared to be a fair distance away from his mother and although there were many people around him, he had no companions. This has connotations which make him seem more vulnerable. A long shot of the beach shows the initial incident, which allows the audience to realise something is happening without realising the full details until the camera zooms in. The use of zoom by Spielberg builds tension by showing the attacks in full detail. This technique aims to give the audience the perspective of what actually happens to the victims, as if they were watching from the beach. Subsequent to the incident, the camera does a close-up shot of Brody whilst pulling the background away from him. This gives the effect of someone gasping with horror or going into shock. This causes the viewer to feel what Broody must be feeling whilst seeing the fatal shark attack. After the gruesome attack the camera began to fade out gradually and showed the yellow lilo which was washing against the shore-as if it was the only thing left of him.

Another example of a false alert occurred after a reward was offered for the butchery of the culprit shark. Two local amature fishermen took it upon themselves to capture the shark and collect the reward. The camera showed the men (from a long shot) with bait which was attatched to the somewhat unstabel looking pier that they were perched upon. Speilberg intercut this humourous, exciting and nail-biting sequence with grusome photos of shark victims, jaws and razor-sharp teeth from the pages that Brody was seen flicking through in an encyclopedia. The camera then returned to focus on the men in a mid shot and showed the sequnce as the shark took the bait, then dragged it out to sea, taking half of the pier with it. There is a use of eerie music throughout this scene which builds up to a climax, then introduces the shark theme music to alert the audience that the menace is approaching. The camera then appears to zoom out as one of the old men scrambles onto the remains of the pier and leaves his partner behind. These techniques enforce the man’s vunerability and heighten the tension for audiences, who cannot decipher whether he will live or die. A long shot then shows him frantically swimming back to safety, whilst the fragment of pier that is floating out to sea appears to begin to chase him. The terror of the scene is magnified by the fact that the shark is unseen and both men barely escape with their lives.

Aspects of the victim’s characteristics and personalities within the movie are shown to the audience prior to their deaths; this allows viewers to relate to them and feel sympathy when their lives are so cruelly taken. This technique also ensures that the victims have relevance within the plot. The camera generally focuses upon the victims in each particular scene and indicates that they all had a certain importance on the island and that they’d be greatly missed by those around them. The use of this technique allows the audience to develop an emotional connection with them; hence increasing tension and suspense further on in the sequence when their lives become endangered. For instance, Chrissie (the first victim) was seen departing from a party with a male companion. This implies that she had a social life and allows younger viewers to connect with her. Another example of this was the death of Alex, whose mother had an aggressive outrage towards Broody for allowing the beaches to remain open despite being aware of the shark infested waters. At this point the audience are fully engrossed in the movie and those who are parents with young children feel the emotional trauma of the mother. However she was unaware of the pressure put upon Broody by the mayor and local authorities and therefore this causes some viewers to develop a dislike towards her character. The audience also develops an emotional connection with Broody and his family. Spielberg specifically chose to cast the actor who played Sean, Brody’s youngest son, due to his adorable appearance and mannerisms which enables viewers to feel affection towards him. Throughout a sequence which took place at the family’s home, Spielberg gives connotations of a calming, quiet, believable homelife. This scene showed a rather distraught Brody who was sat at the family dinning table. Sean, who was sat beside him, mimiced his drinking gesture using a glass of milk and then the way his father held his hands in deep thought. Eventully (when Brody recognsised how his son was behaving) he responded playfully by pulling ‘funny’ faces at him and requestsed a kiss, explaining that he was in need of affection. Brody’s eldest son, Michael, is that of a typical child who frequently disrespects his parents. This allows younger viewers and parents of children a similar age to connect with him and increases the tension when he has a near death experience. Mrs Broody can also be related to the common housewife and develops a connection, in particular, with female audience members who live a similar lifestyle.

One of the most memorable and shocking scenes for the audience involves the discovery of Ben Gardener’s head, who was the fourth victim following: Chrissie, Pippet and Alex. In an earlier scene in the film, Brody revealed that he was the islands most famous fisherman. Throughout the sequence there is use of eerie and chilling music which rapidly increases in pace, with an explosion of sounds at the appearance of the severed head. Hooper (who makes the startling discovery) is also seen carrying a yellow torch-which is the signifier for disaster. This shot was in fact a pick up shot on the editor’s pool and the prop was a head made from a life size cast of Craig Kingsburg-the actor who played Ben Gardener! The mise en scene of the sequence shows a particularly dark atmosphere, which was set at night and gives connotations of danger. This technique is used to build suspense and tension and keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Almost instantaneously after the discovery, the camera showed an extreme close up of Hooper, demonstrating his shock and emotional response to the situation. The camera then switched to a low-angle shot of Hooper as he scrambled to the surface, causing both him and the audience to feel venerable.

Due to the mayor’s persistent refusal to close the beaches they remained open on July 4th Independence Day; this scene depicts the shark’s fifth victim and involves the near death experience of Michael. The mayor is portrayed as someone who values money more than his people, so therefore the audience develop a dislike towards him. In this sequence, Brody had instructed his eldest son to use his boat in the pond, rather than the ocean. Michael showed some resistance to his father’s wishes, mainly due to the fact that he was oblivious of the threat that still remained, as he believed the culprit shark had been captured and killed earlier by a fisherman. Though unlike Michael, at this point the viewers have the knowledge that the captured shark was indeed too small to have caused the fatalities. This idea had been challenged by Brody himself and an autopsy confirmed this and showed that it had merely consumed a large quantity of metal-including a car number plate! This built tension for audiences because not only Michael, but all the tourists, remained uninformed that the menace was still at large. Hooper and Broody organised a group to patrol the waters and endeavoured to ensure his son had no risk of a confrontation with the beast, however this later proved to be ineffective. At the beginning of the sequence a long shot showed many tourists on the beach, though everyone appeared to be hesitant to go in the water. However, the mayor asked a family to go into the water and the rest of the crowd followed. Eventually Amity beach appeared to have returned to normal-as if the gruesome attacks had never occurred. Spielberg has used this technique to build suspense and create a tense atmosphere for viewers. The mise en scene almost mirrors the sequence where Pippet and Alex were both mutilated! Here Spielberg uses another example of a false alert which heightens the tension and suspense for audiences. The camera abruptly switches to a high angle long shot of the water, where a fin is visible carving through the water. This particular sequence is accompanied by the famous shark theme composition. A low angle long shot shows the crowds of holiday makers who were swarming from the waters towards the shore. They appeared to be running in the direction of the cameras for safety. The camera then switches to a long shot of the ocean, which showed that everyone had escaped and this relieves the tension for the audience. Following this, it soon becomes apparent that this was merely a prank pulled by two young boys. This is a technique used by Spielberg to target the audiences’ emotions-causing them to develop a sense of disgust at the children. The use of a false alert leaves viewers of guard and increases the overall intensity of the next sequence.

After the incident, a young woman was heard shrieking about a supposed shark spotting in a nearby pond. This sequence was filmed at Sengekontacket Pond. At first, both Brody and the viewers are sceptical and apprehensive about the woman’s claim and it goes unnoticed for a moment. However, it soon becomes apparent that Michael is in danger. Non-diegetic music accompanies the woman’s screams, building increasingly in pace and volume. The tense environment and dramatic effect causes audiences to feel panicked and nervous for the safety of his son-who they’ve grown deeply connected to. Subsequently, long-shots of the crowd were seen racing in the direction of the pond from the beach and increased the chaos of the sequence. Though for a brief moment the music began to die down and the camera switched to a mid-shot of an anonymous man on a rowing boat, who began to communicate Brody’s son and his friends. Michael was visible in the foreground of the shot, with the man behind and the shark in the backdrop; this technique was used to emphasis his venerability. A series of thunderous thumps were then heard (which rebuilt the tense atmosphere) and both the man and group of boys plummeted into the water below. Subsequent to this, the camera showed a close up of the anonymous man’s face, which was followed by a close up of Michael’s face. Throughout this sequence, Spielberg has used a similar technique to the scene involving the second and third victims because it also gives multiple targets and leaves viewers in suspense about who will become shark bait. The man is seen desperately trying to cling to his boat in a mid shot, though the overpowering force of the beast pulls him beneath the surface. The camera appears to plunge among the depths of the water alongside him and shows his severed leg and ghastly death. The audience later develop a sense of relief that Michael survived the attack, though they have less consideration for the man as he didn’t play a significant part in the plot of the movie.

Through the first eighty minutes of the movie, the shark remained hidden beneath the depths of the ocean. This technique allows the audience to use their imagination and heightens tension because they’re not aware of its actual size until the final section of the film. This effect also creates the sense of a menace and malevolent motivation, which is brought upon the victims and their relations. The shark is made to seem daunting with the use of quick camera shots and editing, alongside non-diegetic music which accompanies. The audience experiences the first real close up of the shark towards the last fifteen minutes of the film, where it becomes apparent that the model isn’t entirely convincing. Therefore, if the shark was shown throughout the whole duration of the film then Jaws wouldn’t have reached the level of tension it does. Majority of the shark scenes throughout the movie were difficult to shoot (mainly due mechanical faults) with the motorised shark. Due to the fact the filming took place during 1971, animation and blue screen model work was the best method of developing special effects. This made creating a realistic twenty five foot great white shark an exigent task. Therefore, if the film was remade nowadays, the use of CGI technology would make the job of compelling Jaws a far less imposing endeavour. Spielberg himself has admitted that if the mechanical shark was more efficient then it would’ve had more screen time. Though ironically, this handicap resulted in one of the movie’s greatest strengths; by keeping the shark hidden from the audience, the suspense of the film achieves a high level. The lack of screen time given to the ferocious shark meant that Speilberg relies on many other tools which build tension and atmosphere. This consists of a frequent use of long-shots, which both endows the shark with seemingly god-like powers and helps to convey isolation for the victims.

The final forty-five minutes of the film are spent aboard Quint’s boat (the Orca) and involve Broody, Hooper and Quint. They had been left no alternative but to hunt the shark themselves. The camera showed several long shots of the boat which was isolated and out on the water by itself. This camera angle was used to emphasis their vulnerability, by showing a minuscule boat surrounded by masses of water. Before long, something appeared to pull at Quint’s fishing line-though he soon wrestled it away. It became apparent that Hooper doubted that it was a shark, though whilst the audience are sidetracked by this conversation, the line is bitten in two. This technique is used to startle viewers. Then the camera resumes to a long shot of the boat which reinforces their vulnerability against the menace. Foreshadowing future action, Quint is heard mentioning that the shark will eat anything-even the compressed air tanks up on deck! One of the most memorable shots in the movie occurred when Brody had an unexpected first look at his nautical nemesis. A mid-shot was used to show Brody, who was throwing spoiled bloody meat into the waters below. This was as an attempt to lure the shark towards the boat. An extreme close up of him is used to show the audience that he was in disbelief about the situation he faced. The camera then zooms out and shows Brody’s horror as he turned around to be greeted by the twenty five foot shark. The monstrous shark rose out of the water and barely missed his hand. This is the film's first full glimpse of the shark and is a truly spine-tingling moment. At this point, Spielberg incorporated a dark aspect of humour into the film with Brody responding ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat’. The feeling of complete isolation shows that the three men will face the mammoth beast alone and creats an even tenser atmosphere.

Subsequent to this, Quint fired a harpoon into it’s the shark’s flank which was attached to two yellow barrels-this again signifies to the audience that a tragedy is yet to occur. These two barrels are shown on a long shot, which spiralled off the boat and followed the path of the shark as it submerged itself and headed away from the Orca. The use of two camera shots (which were faded into each other) showed as day turned to night. The men had found no more evidence of the shark and the yellow barrels had disappeared into the distance. The camera then shows a mid shot of the men who were sat among the comfort of the cabin, providing the audience with a false sense of security. There were a series of low key moments such as when the men were seen bonding over ‘war wounds’, with Hooper and Quint displaying various scars. This was soon followed by a chilling monologue about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis from Quint, which is a cunning technique is used to divert the audiences’ attention away from the shark. However, the calm ambiance is interrupted by a long shot that shows the yellow barrel approaching from a distance. The shark rammed into the boat, pounding the wooden hull, flooding the cabin and the engine, starting a minor fire and extinguishing the lights. The use of contrapuntal sound is used (which disturbs the atmosphere) with a series of thunderous thumps from below deck. The men then scrambled to extinguish the fires and after repairs had been made on the engine, everything remained quite until morning. This was until a long shot from outside the boat showed the yellow barrel, which suddenly appeared on the stern. In a last attempt Brody summoned aid from the Coast guard with an urgent radio call, though this heightens tension when Quint unprovokely smashed it with a baseball bat.

One of the the heighest points in tension in this scene occurred when Broody and Hooper were seen pulling the barrel from the water, which they believed was no longer attached to the shark. This misleads audiences into relaxing and therefore astonsihes them when the shark’s head roars up from beneath the surface of the water. From this point on the scene involves a violent cat and mouse game between the shark and the three men; the whole sequence is filled with suspense and tension. The last scene of Jaws is very dramatic and the climax of the film engrosses audiences all the more. The shark was relentless, it failed to be killed by several gunshots and managed to pull the entire Orca around and tow it backwards-flooding the entire stern of the ship. This is the peak point of tension in the film and the shark had been proven to be more cunning than expected by managing to disable the boat completely. Hooper had made a split minute descision to enter the shark proof cage in an attempt to tranquilise the menace with a poisoned explosive dart. As he lowered himself gently into the cage, the camera followed alonsgide, submurging the audience into the murky depths of the shark infested waters. This allows the audience to feel a part of the action. However, Hooper failed to notice the shark coming up from behind which knocked the spear from his hands and it sank to the ocean floor. Subsequently, the shark rammed the cage continually which eventually formed a gaping hole that exposed Hooper. Though miraculously, he managed to find safety behind an underwater rock as the shark retreated and turned its attention towards the boat. This relieves the tension for viewers, however builds suspense as they are aware that both Brody and Quint are aboard the boat. The camera then appears to rise from the depths of the water to show a high angle shot of Brody and Quint, who struggled to stay on their feet as the shark violently thrashed the boat around and smashed down the stern’s transom. As the yellow signifing barrels had sugested earlier, a fatality was yet to follow. A mid shot then showed as Quint slid down the slippery deck into the open jaws of the shark. Quint is swallowed whole and devoured by the menace. The death of his character in particular impacts the audience becasue they have grown a strong bond with his peculiar personaity. Additionally, this causes Brody to seem very isolated and alone alike the previous victims in the movie and leaves viewers in suspense about whether he will survive this ordeal. Sunbsequently, a low angle shot showed as Brody heaved a compressed air tank cylinder into the menace’s mouth, grabbed a rifle and shot the explosive canister trapped between it’s jaws. At this point it it’s still not evident to audiences whether he will live or die, though when one of his last shots hits the canister it violently explodes. The camera then zooms out as the shark's bloody carcass is blown to bits all over the water surface and Hooper miraculously surfaces from below. Ironically, Speilberg chose to end the movie with a long shot of the two men kicking toward shore with the aid of the floating yellow barrels.

In conclusion Steven Spielberg successfully uses a range of filmic devices which entertain and built suspense and tension in Jaws. The use of numerous camera angles and filming techniques merge together with the music (composed by Williams) to create an outstanding piece of filmmaking which has entertained audiences for generations. Jaws allows viewers to develop social empathy and gain insight into the circumstance of others; it allows them to find a basis for conversation and social interaction, therefore enabling them to connect with their family, friends and society. The purpose of the movie is to entertain viewers and they experience escapism into someone else’s life, are diverted from problems and have the opportunity simply to relax. In 1974 Blumler and Katz stated that there were four main needs of television audiences. These included: identity (which enables the viewer to compare their lives with those on the television in order to explore or question their personal identity), personal relationships (which allows the viewers to feel companionship by either conversations with others or with the television characters themselves); diversion (which is a form of escaping the general pressures of everyday) and surveillance (where the media provides information and news about society). The uses and gratification theory states that everyone has different uses for media and makes choices about what they watch. This means that audiences use media for a purpose and they expect to achieve something from watching it. Three sequels to the Jaws movie have been released: Jaws 2, Jaws the Revenge and Jaws 3D. However, neither of these were directed by Spielberg himself and therefore failed to reach the high standards achieved in the original.