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Research on how to create tension.
The scene begins at 13.03 minutes into the film. Jaws is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful films ever made, costing only 12 million to produce, Jaws has accumulated over 470 million dollars from cinema recites alone. Before it hit the silver screen, Jaws started out as a best-selling novel by Peter Benchly, which was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks or 1916.Jaws stunned audiences with its unique cinematography and prophetic. This essay will explain how Stephen Spielberg raises the tension in the second shark attack scene through the use of sound, red herrings, colour, cinematography and stage directions, which make this scene possibly the most memorable of the film, and in my opinion, the best.
The scene begins at 13 minutes and 3 seconds into the film, the first shot is a medium shot, the camera pans with a fat lady who is wearing a striped swimsuit, and is approaching the water. This lady is very important to the way this scene unfolds, Stephen Spielberg has chosen this fat lady as he wants the audience to think that she’s the largest person in the water at the time the shark attacks, so evidently we presume that the shark would instinctively go for her, when in reality it goes for Alex, as he is lying on a lilo, and his surface area is greater than that of the fat lady. The clothing Spielberg has chosen for the fat lady increases the appearance of size, as fat people should not wear stripes, it makes them look fatter.
The colours employed in this scene send subliminal thoughts to the viewer, Alex is wearing read swimming trunks, the colour red represents blood, danger, sin, anger, and death. Spielberg uses the colour yellow to symbolise loss, Alex mum is wearing yellow, as is the man who loses his dog. Alex’s lilo is also yellow, and you could argue that the lilo has lost its owner, and is the only thing that washes up on the beech at the end of the scene.
Brody’s son is wearing white; he is only a toddler and sings the muffin man nursery rhyme while making a sandcastle. This at a glance is cute; however, Spielberg is trying to show the audience how brodys son is oblivious to life’s problems, and is perfectly innocent.
Alex comes out of the sea to ask his mum if he can stay in there a while longer, not only does this show that Alex is a good obedient child, and shares a fantastic relationship with his mum, it also shows that ale’s mum loves her son, she demonstrates a caring attitude, complaining that Alex’s fingers are beginning to prune, then lets him go out for 10 more minutes. If his mum had made him stay with her, Alex would not have died in the water, which ultimately makes the audience recall this shot, and wonder, “what if?”
Brody is concentrating on the fat lady, who is floating in the sea, a series of wipe transitions cut back and forth to the lady and brody, when a black round object slowly approaches the fat lady, you see brody with a look of panic, Spielberg raises the tension with fast transitions showing what’s happening and close ups of brodys reaction. Spielberg immediately lowers the tension when Harry pops up from the water, this is called a red herring, when the director makes you think something’s going to happen, but something different happens instead, in this case we expect the shark shaped object to consume the fat lady, but it turns out to be Harry, an old man. Spielberg lowers the tension using humour, as Harry has a funny expression on his face when he emerges; he looks rather like a child eating a lemon, which is understandable because of the salty water in the sea, which adds realism to the film, as great white sharks only swim in salt water.
An annoying man comes to talk to brody, he seems to have some sort or problem with his driveway, its not important and you can see that brodys not at all interested, and we see from his point of view, he is looking over his shoulder at the sea, when he hears screaming and a girl disappears under the water. Brody stands up to get a better view, looking tense, the other people on the beech don’t seem to take any notice; the tension is lowered when it is revealed that her boyfriend is just playing with her. Spielberg lowers the sound of the mans speech and heightens the sound of the screaming, to add drama and tension.
Harry comes to talk to brody, the camera is looking over brodys shoulder you can see Alex floating in the distance, and he is faraway from the other children and can’t be helped. Spielberg uses Harry to lower the tension, as the audience find his man boobs amusing. Immediately after Harry leaves, the music volume increases and brodys wife gives brody a massage, which psychologically gives the audience a massage, and the tension decreases to its lowest in this scene.
Spielberg uses fast cuts to increase the tension
Spielberg raises the tension yet again, to its highest level so far by using fast cuts of children screaming and splashing in the sea, which the audience think is drawing attention to the shark. This contrasts to the mood of the last shot, which was extremely calm, compared to the fast paced shots that follow, and contrast with each other.
The shark’s point of view is the highest point of tension in this scene; Spielberg mainly uses sound to convey this. The camera is supposedly seeing from the point of view of a shark, the audience don’t see the shark which adds tension. The music crescendo’s and the tempo quickens as Jaws gets closer to its pray. The tension builds and builds until the shark attacks. Dramatic irony is also used in this shot, the characters are oblivious to the shark right by their feet, and however, the audience know there is going to be an attack. The shot used is a underwater shot, following the movement of the shark, you could call it a tracking shot, and is effectively a zoom, as the camera moves closer to the subject until a close up of Alex’s legs, the point in which the shark attacks.
While Alex is being attacked, Spielberg uses a special effect called a reverse zoom, the only special effect used in the film. Its done by zooming into the subject as the camera tracks away, its extremely effective to show characters emotions, which usually when this type of shot it used is fear or panic. The background appears to stretch away from the subject, who appears to stay the same length away from the camera continuously. This shot is used on brody to show his reaction of what has just happened. It adds to the drama and tension of the scene.
The scene ends with low tension, in preparation for the next scene. Alex’s lilo washes up on the beach, in a way its peaceful, and Spielberg lowers the tension by focusing only on the sound of the waves, which is relaxing.
Spielberg has used these devices in this scene in order to raise and lower the tension, he lowers the tension by raising the sound of music, and also by using slow shots, and raises it by making fast cuts and heightens the sound of screaming/ panic, and the dramatic music used. This is what makes this scene one of the most memorable in the film, and one of the most successful.
The scene begins at 13 minutes and 3 seconds into the film, the first shot is a medium shot, the camera pans with a fat lady who is wearing a striped swimsuit, and is approaching the water. This lady is very important to the way this scene unfolds, Stephen Spielberg has chosen this fat lady as he wants the audience to think that she’s the largest person in the water at the time the shark attacks, so evidently we presume that the shark would instinctively go for her, when in reality it goes for Alex, as he is lying on a lilo, and his surface area is greater than that of the fat lady. The clothing Spielberg has chosen for the fat lady increases the appearance of size, as fat people should not wear stripes, it makes them look fatter.
The colours employed in this scene send subliminal thoughts to the viewer, Alex is wearing read swimming trunks, the colour red represents blood, danger, sin, anger, and death. Spielberg uses the colour yellow to symbolise loss, Alex mum is wearing yellow, as is the man who loses his dog. Alex’s lilo is also yellow, and you could argue that the lilo has lost its owner, and is the only thing that washes up on the beech at the end of the scene.
Brody’s son is wearing white; he is only a toddler and sings the muffin man nursery rhyme while making a sandcastle. This at a glance is cute; however, Spielberg is trying to show the audience how brodys son is oblivious to life’s problems, and is perfectly innocent.
Alex comes out of the sea to ask his mum if he can stay in there a while longer, not only does this show that Alex is a good obedient child, and shares a fantastic relationship with his mum, it also shows that ale’s mum loves her son, she demonstrates a caring attitude, complaining that Alex’s fingers are beginning to prune, then lets him go out for 10 more minutes. If his mum had made him stay with her, Alex would not have died in the water, which ultimately makes the audience recall this shot, and wonder, “what if?”
Brody is concentrating on the fat lady, who is floating in the sea, a series of wipe transitions cut back and forth to the lady and brody, when a black round object slowly approaches the fat lady, you see brody with a look of panic, Spielberg raises the tension with fast transitions showing what’s happening and close ups of brodys reaction. Spielberg immediately lowers the tension when Harry pops up from the water, this is called a red herring, when the director makes you think something’s going to happen, but something different happens instead, in this case we expect the shark shaped object to consume the fat lady, but it turns out to be Harry, an old man. Spielberg lowers the tension using humour, as Harry has a funny expression on his face when he emerges; he looks rather like a child eating a lemon, which is understandable because of the salty water in the sea, which adds realism to the film, as great white sharks only swim in salt water.
An annoying man comes to talk to brody, he seems to have some sort or problem with his driveway, its not important and you can see that brodys not at all interested, and we see from his point of view, he is looking over his shoulder at the sea, when he hears screaming and a girl disappears under the water. Brody stands up to get a better view, looking tense, the other people on the beech don’t seem to take any notice; the tension is lowered when it is revealed that her boyfriend is just playing with her. Spielberg lowers the sound of the mans speech and heightens the sound of the screaming, to add drama and tension.
Harry comes to talk to brody, the camera is looking over brodys shoulder you can see Alex floating in the distance, and he is faraway from the other children and can’t be helped. Spielberg uses Harry to lower the tension, as the audience find his man boobs amusing. Immediately after Harry leaves, the music volume increases and brodys wife gives brody a massage, which psychologically gives the audience a massage, and the tension decreases to its lowest in this scene.
Spielberg uses fast cuts to increase the tension
Spielberg raises the tension yet again, to its highest level so far by using fast cuts of children screaming and splashing in the sea, which the audience think is drawing attention to the shark. This contrasts to the mood of the last shot, which was extremely calm, compared to the fast paced shots that follow, and contrast with each other.
The shark’s point of view is the highest point of tension in this scene; Spielberg mainly uses sound to convey this. The camera is supposedly seeing from the point of view of a shark, the audience don’t see the shark which adds tension. The music crescendo’s and the tempo quickens as Jaws gets closer to its pray. The tension builds and builds until the shark attacks. Dramatic irony is also used in this shot, the characters are oblivious to the shark right by their feet, and however, the audience know there is going to be an attack. The shot used is a underwater shot, following the movement of the shark, you could call it a tracking shot, and is effectively a zoom, as the camera moves closer to the subject until a close up of Alex’s legs, the point in which the shark attacks.
While Alex is being attacked, Spielberg uses a special effect called a reverse zoom, the only special effect used in the film. Its done by zooming into the subject as the camera tracks away, its extremely effective to show characters emotions, which usually when this type of shot it used is fear or panic. The background appears to stretch away from the subject, who appears to stay the same length away from the camera continuously. This shot is used on brody to show his reaction of what has just happened. It adds to the drama and tension of the scene.
The scene ends with low tension, in preparation for the next scene. Alex’s lilo washes up on the beach, in a way its peaceful, and Spielberg lowers the tension by focusing only on the sound of the waves, which is relaxing.
Spielberg has used these devices in this scene in order to raise and lower the tension, he lowers the tension by raising the sound of music, and also by using slow shots, and raises it by making fast cuts and heightens the sound of screaming/ panic, and the dramatic music used. This is what makes this scene one of the most memorable in the film, and one of the most successful.
I'm using Jaws to teach my high school students how to look at film through a psychological lens and I always thought yellow symbolized death. I'll have to give consideration to it symbolizing loss.
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