In Depth Analysis of JAWS

 Jaws Opening Scene Analysis

GENRE

Jaws is a classic multi-genre film. Its a adventure; horror; drama thriller. There's also the strong horror element. It's a monster movie, and much of the audience's enjoyment comes from the tension, terror, and tragedy of each shark attack. 

SETTING

A giant great white shark arrives on the shores of a New England beach resort and wreaks havoc with bloody attacks on swimmers until a part-time sheriff teams up with a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt the monster down. It starts when the shark claims its first victim and it ends when the shark is destroyed and the heroes go home. Much of the tension and the fun of the film comes through its selective use of an all-knowing narrator.

SOUND

The non diegetic sound in the early stages of the film was at a very high tempo. This was done to maintain suspense and tension. The pace of the sound started at a low tempo and the tempo of it built up throughout the early stages of the film.

ATMOSPHERE

The opening titles begin with an underwater camera lurking underneath the water, trying to take on the persona of a shark itself. This is complemented by John Williams eerie and now well-known Jaws theme, suggesting to the audience the deceptiveness and danger of what is beneath the surface. The titles end just before the music approaches its peak, creating suspense and anticipation for the audience as to what will appear later in the film. 

 Opening Title From Beneath The Water

NARRATIVE

As the film progresses, the audience meets a group of teenagers partying on a beach. They are drinking, smoking and playing music – thus indicating their carefree nature and the fact they are oblivious to the potential danger that is nearby them.  As an audience, there is also anticipation that tragedy and violence will occur to these characters, as teenagers are often targeted as victims within modern cinema. 

Separation From Group

 Teenagers

THEME

 Jaws is a classic monster movie. Almost from the first frame of the movie, the audience knows that the shark is more than just a shark although it takes the film's characters some time to realise that. 

To a further extent, when two of the teenagers separate from the group, the audience can understand the approaching danger that is about to occur. A shot from below the water of the naked  female character Chrissie again connotes the evil that lies beneath, whilst also providing the audience with more information than the character themselves - furthermore, creating more suspense for them when they view this film. They know the shark is there - but Chrissie doesn't.

 View From Above.

 View From Below.

  

 CHARACTER

Moreover, the violent slaying of Chrissie sets the tone of Jaws in that both protagonists and antagonists are identified to the audience (humans vs sharks) very early in the film, again following the common nature of a standard narrative. 

This will help create my own film opening because I will be able to apply all the things I analysed and observed from the film opening above and apply it to my film opening to make it look effective as if it were to be an actual film.