Opening Scene Analysis Essay

JAWS
Dir. Steven Spielberg

The opening scene of Jaws is chronological, so as to introduce the viewer to a linear series of events, with the use of continuity editing. The director can use all types of sound and shot editing at his disposal to establish genre or character, involve the audience or set a mood. This scene from Jaws is a particularly effective example.

The opening titles begin with an underwater camera lurking underneath the water, almost trying to take on the persona of a shark itself. This is complemented by the eerie and now well-known Jaws theme, suggesting to the audience the deceptiveness and danger of what is beneath the surface. An iconographic sound bridge in the beginning, and the audience are introduced to a sound motif, which is alarming and ominous to the audience as it is only played when the 
shark is nearby or on scene.

The scene opens on a lot of young people  around a bonfire who are engagaing in illicit activities such as drinking and drugs, and such behaviour gives early clues that the characters may meet an unfortunate end under the influence. Two of the characters run off together, and their exclusion from the rest of the group suggests to the viewer that they are of relevance to the story line. Traditionally, teenagers have throughout horror cinema been the victims of grisly mishaps, so already a feeling of the film's plot is suggested. 

As the boy and girl run drunkenly, the camera pans in a long shotfrom left to right and so gives a sense of setting and time for the viewer to understand an analyze the relationship between the characters. Match shots and shot-reverse-shot to show attraction and the close relationship between the male and female character.

The scene is set at dusk so there is a dim hardly lighting, which makes the tone more sombre, as well meaning the characters are silhouetted; such faceless figures let the viewere imagine that they too might be personified by that character, and in that position, and so the film’s danger seems more immediate and frightening.

As the girls swims in the sea, the camera shows her in a extreme long shot, as she appears small, isolated and vulnerable in the vast expanse of water. However she isnt shown in the centre of the screen, and so the off-balance is unsettling, as it could suggest she is not alone.

Much of the action is shot from the shark’s perspective in a wide long shot, and so builds up tension by tracking the movement of the girl, thus reinforcing the idea of the evil beneath. At this point the viewer is not entirely sure what the predator is, but is definitely aware of its prescence as a threat, and the tension grows as the we wait for the inevitable attack. 

There is barely any diegetic sound apart from the dialogue of characters. The crescendo of non-diegetic music builds up to the attack, and it is filmed in a mid-shot of the girl – still without the shark revealing itself – thrashing around on the surface of the water, and the viewer experiences up close her terror, and the scene becomes altogether more frightening. At this point, the style of camera becomes increasingly handheld, to show urgency in the attack and shatter the idea of any peace or safety. After the attack there is only silence, and this stillness represents death. 

Cross-cut editing suggests that boy asleep on the beach might be able to save the girl. In this way the pace is also juxtaposed by frantic, short and sharp shots of the girl as she is being attacked, while in contrast the sleeping boy is shown in calm, lingering and static shots.

To conclude, the director is able to establish Jaws in the thriller/mystery/horror genre, and depict the danger and fear the characters feel, whilst involving the audience through an increased buildup of tension.