Jaws Opening Scene Analysis

 

Jaws Opening Scene Analysis

 

The opening sequence of Jaws is linear and chronological which means there is a clear sequence of events taking place one after another. This narrative is driven through the communication of characters and the events that unfold. This scene is split up into three different parts - the beginning, the middle and the end. The beginning and ending of the opening are both back to an equilibrium; everything is calm and peaceful. This is effective as it makes the audience wonder what is yet to come, as a big event has already taken place in the first two minutes. The dramatic opening sequence immediately shocks the audience and catches their attention. In the opening scene, Jaws shows a negative representation of teenagers as they are being careless and wild which is presented through the way they act and the setting they are in. This causes the audience to hold an immediate disapproval towards them, and so when the shark attack takes place the audience are left feeling slightly guilty.

Jaws features a lot of stereotypical thriller conventions: this being the tension filled music, the female character being the victim, and having the other character (a male) who could possibly save her being unaware that anything is wrong. Enigma's feature strongly is this scene, due to the perspective being seen from the shark's point of view, but never seeing the shark itself. This partial vision is a typical convention of a thriller which helps to create a fear of the unknown as well as building suspense and tension. Another convention of the thriller genre is transform city, where a safe place is transformed into an unsafe environment. In Jaws, the beach which begins seeming quite safe and friendly turns into a very dangerous place making the audience more scared as it seems so realistic.

 
Mise en scene is very effective in the Jaws opening. The lighting shows the level of danger as underwater the lighting is dark and the colours are cold and daunting. The dark, dreary, neutral atmosphere remains the same all the way through suggesting how the character has no hope. When the girl strips her clothes away it has no surface value, however it may be symbolic as it suggests that the stripping of her clothes is stripping her defences away making her vulnerable. This dark atmosphere is a typical convention of the thriller genre - if it was in broad daylight the film would not have the same scary effect as it would be obvious as to what would happen and so too unrealistic. Like the story, the music starts and finishes at equilibrium. This silence is a powerful representation of death, and comes as juxtaposition to the prior music and screaming. The build up of music starting slowly and quietly but getting louder and faster builds a huge amount of tension as the audience can see the danger but the girl can't, making it a very uncomfortable watch. As the girls is jolted into a state of shock and she is dragged under water, the diegetic sound of the massive gulps of water she consumes is emphasised, overpowering any other sound she tries to make, creating a feeling of despair. A contrast in sound and shot is shown between the girl fighting for her life and the boy asleep on the sand. This shocks and angers the audience as stereotypically the man is expected to be the hero, however this is very different in the thriller/horror genre, and the audience are forced to watch her gruesome death as he peacefully sleeps only a few metres away.

 

Camera angles are also used very effectively with the purpose of building tension and suspense, and scaring the audience. A point of view shot is used in the opening sequence in order to create suspense as it is unknown who or what is in the water. The shot following this is a tracking shot using several camera angles to follow them running to the beach. This effectively introduces the characters and introduces the audience to their surroundings. After the girl begins to swim an establishing shot is used, it is a wide angled long take of the ocean showing how alone she is, emphasizing her vulnerability and creating fear in the audience. This is effective as it successfully enables to audience to realise the never ending loneliness of the sea running behind her emphasising her inability to escape.

The use and pace of editing is slowed down dramatically at the point when the girl is attacked by the shark, with shots lasting longer rather than having lots of different shots. This allows us to see what is happening to the girl above water and makes it more clear than having lots of different shots. The change from having restricted vision to being able to see clearly horrifies the audience, creating an almost unbearable climax. As the editing is slowed down so much, it symbolises that the shark is about to attack grasping the audience's full attention. The editing also helps scene flow from one to another. There are cross cut between the girl being attacked and the man asleep on the beach. This is effective in shocking the audience and fulfilling the ugly horrors of the genre. Late night shots are also dissolved into early morning shots effectively showing the passing of time.