How Does Steven Spielberg Make the Opening Scene of Jaws So Dramatic?

How does Steven Spielberg make the opening scene of Jaws so dramatic?

Introduction:

‘Jaws’ is a Blockbuster hit and is still going strong, even though it was released in 1975. It was directed by Steven Spielberg. It was his first blockbuster hit and a brilliant way to start off his career. The genre of the film is a Thriller. It is a very clever Thriller a mix of suspense and ‘goryness’.

The film ‘Jaws’ was based on novel called ‘A Stillness in the Water’, written by Peter Benchley. Peter Benchley, lived in Priceton, New Jersey. He had been interested in sharks after he spent his childhood on the island of Nantucket off Massachusetts.

The film ‘Jaws’ is known for its breathtaking soundtrack, which plays the main part in building the tension and fear.

In the start of the film the screen is black which builds up the tension as black is a dark colour and it is also associated with danger. The music is very quiet, slow and gradually increases in pace. In the opening shot, something is shown to be moving under the sea. It’s the creature’s point of view moving through the weeds which indicates to the audience that something is down there. The Camera Pans across the seascape. The audience is put in the creature’s position as if it is looking for food. The music gets louder and louder and increases in tempo. The music sounds like someone’s heartbeat getting faster and faster when they are scared.

Just when you thought you were going to jump off your seats with fear, the next scene opens to reveal a campfire with teenagers sat around it having a good time. There is a sound of a mouth organ being played at the beach party which is quite relaxing. The tension has completely dropped. Somehow the audience are still a little anxious. The music is mellow and calming suggesting that people are ‘chilling out’ relaxing. We can see medium long shots of the teenagers smoking and drinking, doing all the activities people do when they are relaxing and having a good time. We then see an extreme close up of a young man and woman. The audience think ‘Why are they showing him and her?’ ‘What’s going to happen to them?’ There is a large campfire/bonfire on the beach. The fire can mean two things; the fire can mean warmth, being cosy or safe, or the fire could mean alertness as fire is associated with danger. While the teenagers are having fun and we can hear the mouth organ but we can still hear the sea in the background which indicates that danger is still lurking around.

When they show the young man and woman it is obvious they are both attracted to each other. The audience are distracted by their little romance but are still anxious why they are being shown in the first place. Spielberg uses the medium close-up and the close-up to show their facial expressions. They don’t talk much everything is said through facial expressions. They don’t really know each other and you can tell that they are a bit shy about talking to each other.

When the young couple are running down the hill there is a dark background. The director uses dark silhouettes and uses the ‘moving subject walks into space’ to show them running down the hill. The camera shots vary throughout the scene to give it more tension because hardly anyone understands what’s going on. The young woman is very confident as she runs down the hill and starts stripping off whereas the young man is a little bit drunk and clumsy in his actions. The mood of the scene is happy and exciting and creates a mystery surrounding the characters. When the young man falls he falls right to left which is awkward to the western side of the world. The young man falls down the hill when the young woman is diving in to the sea. When the young man is shown the sun is setting in the sky. It is getting dark and the light is fading away which means safety is going and the danger is surrounding them. Throughout the shot the sea’s noise is present indicating the sea’s presence still remains. By this the audience is constantly reminded of the danger that is lurking beneath waters. The happy and exciting atmosphere changes into a mystery surrounding the two characters. There is a remote silence whilst the girl is paddling through the water. The silence builds tension that makes the hair on the back of your necks stand up. Everyone is in suspense and the question arises ‘Is the creature there or not?’ No one knows what is in the sea. The sun has set and the danger is everywhere. The camera shows the mysterious creature’s point of view