Jaws is a 1975 thriller film directed by Steven Spielsperg. The film is based on a novel wrote by Peter Benchley called “stillness in the water”. The film itself is based on a giant Great White Shark browsing and attacking innocent people on Amity island on the week of fourth of July, this certain week is when a vast amount of tourists from all over America gather to celebrate when America went independent from the British Empire.
The filming effects of this film is really effective because it helps tension build up in the audience by using different camera angles, when the shark is going to attack its victim it uses “point of view” angles (P. O. V), the certain angle builds up tension by letting us see how and who the shark is going to attack, also it doesn’t let us see the shark, that builds up abit more tension because we don’t know what shark it is and how big it is, another way Spielsperg builds tension is the music made by john Williams when it plays as the shark is getting closer on attacking its prey, it starts of slow an quiet gradually getting louder and faster then stops when its just about to attack its victim.
Another angle used is the medium shot mainly used in the second attack showing all the different people the shark could attack. The first attack involves a young woman called Chrissie Jones who is having a beach party in the early morning. She goes out for a swim with a man who is clearly drunk. The man doesn’t go in the water but Chrissie does. While in the water she is pulled under by an unseen predator which turned out to be the shark.
The next morning Chrissie is discovered by Chief Brody played by Roy Schneider. After this attack he decides to close the beaches but shortly overruled by the towns Mayor (Mayor Vaughn) because he is afraid that discovery of a shark attack will ruin the profit and tourism of Fourth of July. The medical examiner claims to chief Brody that this was no shark attack it was simply a boat accident but chief Brody will not stand by that thought. Later In the day a second attack occurred on the Beach of Amity Island.
A young boy called Alex Kintner went in the water on a Lillo but when he goes out the camera shows all the opportunities that the shark can attack. Also we are fooled by the film creating fake tension for example the woman screaming in the water but it is actually her boyfriend and the old man that comes up in a black swimming hat making it look like the shark’s fin, this all happens when chief Brody is talking to someone but the chief just looks straight through him and keeps his mind targeted on the water.
Eventually after all the fake tension camera angles go on the point of view angles this is showing the sharks angle and where its attacking which is the young boy on the Lillo everyone on shore sees the attack and there is an immediate rush to get all the children playing and the adults out of the water as quick as possible but chief Brody doesn’t go in the water because he doesn’t like it. After the tension has died down the mother of Alex Kintner comes screaming “Alex, where are you” etc then breaks down into tears when the remains of the Lillo is washed up.
