Opening Scene Analysis - Jaws

                 

Jaws is a film released in 1975 and is an American thriller. The film is based up on Peter Benchley's novel which had the same name and was written in 1974. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg and it became the highest grossing film of all time until the release of Star Wars in 1977.  The film stars actors such as Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider. The film had a budget of $9 million however, it earned $470.7 million just off the box office alone. Jaws was very unlike the stereotypical films of the time and had troubled productions as well, when it went over budget and past its schedule. 

During the clip there is multiple close ups, especially of the character Chrissie and when she gets into trouble/problems. This is to show the emotion and feeling she has on her face when she encounters these issues. Therefore, by showing a close up it will mean that the audience can relate more to how she would feel and has the effect that it brings the audience closer to the action.  Also by having this close up it shows the this is where the action is happening during the film and that all the focus should be put onto her. Furthermore, as this scene is the opening scene of a film it lets the audience know what they can expect from the rest of the film and sets a mood for the rest of the film right from the beginning.
          Moreover, the lighting used during this scene especially is quite low key. This is used to set the mood for the rest of the film and it makes the audience interpret that its quite a dark film, as would already be interpreted by the genre of the film being a thriller. An example of the low key lighting would also be during this frame shown where the woman has a sense of worry on her face and this therefore, has an added impact through the lack of light used to show this. This makes the audience almost expect something bad to happen.
           In addition, the editing of this scene has a lot of transitions, showing many different shots and angles. The main one used throughout is the use of jump cuts. This also is used to try and have an early impact on the audience about what the film is going to be about and link early on to the type of film it is. An example of this is also this frame, as the woman only stays on screen like this for a second before it cuts to show the use of another angle. This adds dramatic effect to the scene and creates a build up of tension and shows a lot of action is happening throughout.
          The mise-en-scene location of this particular opening scene is considered well as it shows what the majority of the film is going to be about and where its going to be set.


In addition, the very opening frame of this scene is a wide shot. This is to show a lot of the setting and where the characters are in comparison to it. This is therefore an establishing shot as you are able to see the sea in the background with the beach and the characters and so you instantly can tell where the film is being set. Furthermore, within this opening scene it shows a stereotypical narrative. However, it only shows the first two stages of Todorov's theory, this is because the third stage (resolution) is to be solved throughout the rest of the film, as well as more disruption before. This opening scene shows Equilibrium at the start, where the characters are very happy and enjoying themselves. However, it quickly turns and and their is big disruption when the shark attacks her whilst she is swimming. This then leaves the audience in anticipation for what's going to happen next, as well as how they are going to solve the problems that occur. During the first part of this opening scene the main editing technique used to change shots/camera angles is soft cuts to transition shots without the audience's attention particularly being drawn to how they do it. Moreover, the sound used during the very opening few frames of this scene is calm, with the characters laughing and talking with the sound of the sea in the background. This connotes that it's peaceful and tranquil with nothing disturbing them. Also, when the film was released the idea of the sea being the main setting was very unique and hadn't really been seen before. This therefore, attracted audiences to watch the film and get them to be intrigued in the film, this being one of many reasons why the film did so well especially in terms of revenue.

During this frame/part of the scene, their becomes a build up of tension before the equilibrium is broken and the problems start to occur in the film. Also this is the first point in the film where we hear the world famous Jaws music for the first time. This music helps to create a lot of tension and makes the audience aware of what's going to occur. However, the music is also used throughout the film even when there is harmless things. This is because the music will get the audience on the edge of their seat and this means the music will keep the audience as engaged as possible throughout. Also this frame is very unusual because of the type of shot this is, the shot is taken from underwater looking up. This type of shot is quite rare, especially at the time of release, which also adds extra effect towards the scene. The shot is a wide shot, however, it makes Chrissie the main subject of the frame by just including her in the frame and nothing else. This avoids the audience being diverted to other things and makes them put their focus straight towards Chrissie. Moreover, this is also done by the use of lighting. It shows the moon reflecting on to the sea water right where Chrissie is. This leaves the rest of the frame dark and almost irrelevant. It also adds the sense of mystery to the film in that you don't know what might be there. 

In addition, during this part of the scene where the equilibrium is broken with the shark attack, it shows this character who is totally irrelevant to it all however, so close to the action. This shows the contrast that there is throughout the film, with moments of equilibrium and then moments where its disturbed and problems happen. The sound also connotes peace and tranquillity similar to how the opening part of the scene did. Moreover, the colours and characters used throughout this scene would appeal to both male and female audiences because there is both a female and male acting in this opening scene making it suitable for everyone to watch. Furthermore, the colours are very bland and therefore, don't particularly attract a specific target audience and is very general and dark to try and fit in with the mood and genre of the film.

In conclusion, Jaws' opening scene is very effective in using sound especially to have a specific effect on the audience. Also, the camera angles are unique to try and make the audience think different things and have a required effect up on them. The opening scene is effectively used to break the equilibrium and start the problems that are going to take place during/throughout the film and make the audience have something to think about eg. whats going to happen next.