I just finished my 'Jaws' essay for English language and I have proof read and proof read it for mistakes. Anyone care to have a look to see if I missed anything ?
Jaws is a movie that is based on the novel written by Peter Brenchley’s best selling novel of the same name. This book was first published in 1974. Steven Spielberg, who directed the movie, initially wanted to shark to win. He also thought that some of the characters were unsympathetic. The book was set on the JerseyShore Shark Attacks of 1916. Steven Spielberg’s adaptation on the novel was released in 1975 on June 20th. This movie is set in the fictional setting of AmityIsland. Movie enthusiasts believe that AmityIsland is based on Martha's Vineyard in the state of Maine. This was confirmed in the DVD special features. Jaws is set on the Independence day weekend, on the 4th of July. The movie was set on this weekend because AmityIsland is portrayed as a summer resort, similar to Blackpool or Brighton here in the U.K. This is important because the majority of the small islands income is taken in over this weekend.Jaws.
The main shark music that is played when we see through the shark’s perspective. This music was created by John Williams; this piece also contains echoes of Igor Stravinsky's - The Rite of Spring. The main two note repetition is created by playing the keys E and F over and over. There are various interpretations on the meaning and effectiveness of the theme. Some have thought the two-note expression is intended to mimic the shark's heartbeat, beginning slow and controlled as the killer hunts, and rising to a frenzied, shrieking climax as it approaches its prey. One critic believes the true strength of the score is its ability to create a "harsh silence", abruptly cutting away from the music right before it climaxes. Another interpretation is that the music is very important and an audience can predict that a shark attack will happen because the music is never used as a red herring.it only plays when the real shark appears. This is later exploited when the shark suddenly appears with no musical introduction. When this first score of music was pitched to Steven Spielberg he laughed and thought it was a joke. The tempo of the piece of music increases at a rapid rate, similar to how a shark speeds up as it sees a target. At the very start of the movie the music played is very jovial, it is a complete contrast to the music that is played when the girl (Chrissy Watkins) is attacked. The harmonica that is played at the very start around the campfire gives the feeling of safety and security. Half way into the attack Steven cuts the scene to a short clip of the sun raising, in this time the classical Jaws attack scene music is paused and the harmonica continues. This shows the care free attitude that is a relevant theme thought the movie, we can see another sense of carefree living is through the mayor of Amity and his reactions to the recent shark attacks. After the attack the music stops and all the audience can hear is silence. This connotates that the shark attacks can happen at any time.
There are many different camera techniques used through the film. These are important in creating tension and suspense. One of the shots used is called a tracking shot. We can see one of these when the main character of the second beach attack scene, Alex Kinter, is walking up the beach talking to his mother. The fact that you get Alex’s first and last name gives the audience a small emotional attachment to the boy. All of the shark attacks can be predicted by the colour Yellow being overly used, For example, Alex’s mother is wearing a Yellow hat. Alex also has a big Yellow lilo and a man walks through the shot in yellow Speedos. There are also a lot of jump cuts used here, this is to try and confuse the audience. This is also how the residents of Amity are feeling, they are not sure who to believe, the mayor or Hooper and Broady. Also on the beach scene we see a long over the shoulder shot when a man talks to Broady about people parking in front of his house. This creates a lot of anticipation in the scene. Another clever shot that is used is the shot from the shark’s perspective, also when we see this the infamous jaws music kicks in. When the second attack happens we see a short simultaneous track and zoom shot, this is when, for example the camera moves forward and zooms out at the same time. This shows the realization of Broady. At the end of the beach scene we see the boy’s torn up lilo, this shot is a mid shot. When this comes onto the screen all music stops all that can be heard is the crashing of the waves hitting the sand.
Near the end of the movie when Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), Broady (Roy Scheider) and Quint (Robert Shaw) are on the boat, drunk singing the old folk song their tempo slowly increases. This mimics the famous jaws piece of music that is played at the start of the movie. The whales that begin to communicate just before the trio begin to sing also matches the techno style music that is played at the very start, during the Universal Pictures title screen. This sub-consciously gets the audience to predict that an attack is going to happen. The shark is very important to the storyline because his attacks not only cause physical damage but emotional too. For example on the second attack when Alex’s mother is looking for him on the beach the shark causes her emotional damage and distress.
