Jaws - 1975 - Steven Spielberg
Answer the following questions throughout the viewing of this film.
Q#1) Explain how the opening of the film (“Chrissie’s last swim”) utilizes suspense rather than surprise.
A: The opening of the film uses suspense rather than surprise quite well. First we see the girl running into the ocean for a swim. We also see this one person from their campfire group, who is quite drunk, chasing after her to go swimming with her. When the girl is in the water, we see the drunk man trying to get into the water but he is so drunk he can't even take off his shirt. The man eventually passes out on the sand leaving the girl in the water. Now the girl doesn't know that the man is passed out, and in turn, the passed out man can't hear the girl being attacked. The camera then shifts underwater and the scary music starts to come in. The girl, at this point, suspects nothing. Mainly because Amity Island has been such a friendly place for swimming and such. Then, the shark comes and attacks her and kills her.
Q#2) What is Chief Brody’s first reaction to finding out that their might be a shark feeding near Amity?
A: His first reaction is concerning. For one, he has kids and they play in the water regularly so he doesn't want his children to get hurt. Being part of the islands police force, he is also concerned for the other people on the island.
Q#3) How do Chief Brody and Mayor Vaughn differ in their approaches to dealing with the shark? Why is this?
A: Chief Brody wants to deal with the shark right away because he doesn't want anyone else to get killed. A shark was already caught and everyone, including the mayor, thought it was the shark that was causing the deaths, but it was not. Chief Brody wants to close down the beaches so him and Hooper can find the shark. Although, Mayor Vaughn finds this ridiculous and doe not want to close down the beach because the summertime is where he makes his money. Thus, closing down the beach would cut off a source of income.
Q#4) Describe Amity Island before the arrival of the shark.
A: Before the arrival of the shark, Amity Island is a calm and peaceful place. There does not seem to be any problems, everyone seems to be having a good life and overall it's a happy island with a happy atmosphere.
Q#5) What affect does the close up on Chief Brody during the second shark attack have on us as viewers?
A: I think the close up effect used on Chief Brody kind of puts us in his shoes. It's almost like we, the viewer, are realizing the same thing Chief Brody is. Ultimately, it is a moment of realization.
Q#6) The 2 men fishing with a roast is a good example of building suspense through what is not seen. How does Spielberg do this effectively? Think of the sound, action, and dialogue.
A: Spielberg does "suspense through what is not seen" quite well. There are a couple times int he movie where we maybe only hear a very tiny bit of dialogue then the rest is actions and sounds. From what Spielberg does I think the sounds contribute the most. We hear these tiny little sounds and we don't know what they are but we know something could happen. The actions by characters is carried out quite well too. For example, the two men fishing with the roast, we see them hook the roast, then we see them go in the water with their boat. So from this we can see that they are trying to catch the shark, so in our minds we can conclude the shark may make an appearance, making it more suspenseful We also see the shark pulling the roast and eventually knocking one of the guys out of the boat and then eventually catching him.
Q#7) Describe Hooper as a character.
A: Hooper is an oceanographer. He is a nice and very smart man, knowing quite alot about sharks and the ocean, but also quite a skeptic. We can definitley see his skepticism when the shark attack happens. Someone catches a shark, but Hooper knows that the shark that was caught, is not the one there looking for. Hooper seems a little bit of a troubled character. Throughout the movie he is scrutinized for thinking things such as, the shark they caught wasn't it.
Q#8) Describe Hooper’s reaction throughout the autopsy? Why is he not satisfied when the men catch a large shark they assume to the one responsible for the earlier attacks?
A: Hooper's reaction is very surprised. He is not satisfied when the men catch a big shark because he knows that it is not the right shark. From his knowledge of the ocean, he can easily tell that the big shark caught was not the one. He is also not satisfied with the catching of the big shark because the people primarily did this to relieve stress from people on the island so they wouldn't worry about the sharks anymore. Also, the mayor makes his money in the summer, so if there was so much concern with the shark then they may have to close down the beaches thus, cutting off income.
Q#9) How does the mood of the film change when the vacationers first arrive for the Fourth of July?
A: The mood becomes kind of unsettling because, we know there is a shark in the water and all these people are coming to the beach. We don't know who will eventually go into the water, although many people go in the water, but if someone does, then there is the great risk of the shark attacking the people.
Q#10) What kind of shot type does Spielberg use in the next shark attack and why is this effective as our 1st look at the shark?
A: Spielberg uses a kind of almost over the head look so when we do see the shark, we see the sharks face primarily. This is effective because, for example, if we saw the back end of the shark then we would see and probably not feel anything from it. But Spielberg shows us the sharks face and all it's mighty glory. We see the sharks piercing black eyes, massive jaw, and it's razor sharp teeth. This shot of the shark is effective because we see the many features of the shark and then we know that the shark is huge and a force to be reckoned with. The shot allows us, the viewer, to take more in.
Q#1) Explain how the opening of the film (“Chrissie’s last swim”) utilizes suspense rather than surprise.
A: The opening of the film uses suspense rather than surprise quite well. First we see the girl running into the ocean for a swim. We also see this one person from their campfire group, who is quite drunk, chasing after her to go swimming with her. When the girl is in the water, we see the drunk man trying to get into the water but he is so drunk he can't even take off his shirt. The man eventually passes out on the sand leaving the girl in the water. Now the girl doesn't know that the man is passed out, and in turn, the passed out man can't hear the girl being attacked. The camera then shifts underwater and the scary music starts to come in. The girl, at this point, suspects nothing. Mainly because Amity Island has been such a friendly place for swimming and such. Then, the shark comes and attacks her and kills her.
Q#2) What is Chief Brody’s first reaction to finding out that their might be a shark feeding near Amity?
A: His first reaction is concerning. For one, he has kids and they play in the water regularly so he doesn't want his children to get hurt. Being part of the islands police force, he is also concerned for the other people on the island.
Q#3) How do Chief Brody and Mayor Vaughn differ in their approaches to dealing with the shark? Why is this?
A: Chief Brody wants to deal with the shark right away because he doesn't want anyone else to get killed. A shark was already caught and everyone, including the mayor, thought it was the shark that was causing the deaths, but it was not. Chief Brody wants to close down the beaches so him and Hooper can find the shark. Although, Mayor Vaughn finds this ridiculous and doe not want to close down the beach because the summertime is where he makes his money. Thus, closing down the beach would cut off a source of income.
Q#4) Describe Amity Island before the arrival of the shark.
A: Before the arrival of the shark, Amity Island is a calm and peaceful place. There does not seem to be any problems, everyone seems to be having a good life and overall it's a happy island with a happy atmosphere.
Q#5) What affect does the close up on Chief Brody during the second shark attack have on us as viewers?
A: I think the close up effect used on Chief Brody kind of puts us in his shoes. It's almost like we, the viewer, are realizing the same thing Chief Brody is. Ultimately, it is a moment of realization.
Q#6) The 2 men fishing with a roast is a good example of building suspense through what is not seen. How does Spielberg do this effectively? Think of the sound, action, and dialogue.
A: Spielberg does "suspense through what is not seen" quite well. There are a couple times int he movie where we maybe only hear a very tiny bit of dialogue then the rest is actions and sounds. From what Spielberg does I think the sounds contribute the most. We hear these tiny little sounds and we don't know what they are but we know something could happen. The actions by characters is carried out quite well too. For example, the two men fishing with the roast, we see them hook the roast, then we see them go in the water with their boat. So from this we can see that they are trying to catch the shark, so in our minds we can conclude the shark may make an appearance, making it more suspenseful We also see the shark pulling the roast and eventually knocking one of the guys out of the boat and then eventually catching him.
Q#7) Describe Hooper as a character.
A: Hooper is an oceanographer. He is a nice and very smart man, knowing quite alot about sharks and the ocean, but also quite a skeptic. We can definitley see his skepticism when the shark attack happens. Someone catches a shark, but Hooper knows that the shark that was caught, is not the one there looking for. Hooper seems a little bit of a troubled character. Throughout the movie he is scrutinized for thinking things such as, the shark they caught wasn't it.
Q#8) Describe Hooper’s reaction throughout the autopsy? Why is he not satisfied when the men catch a large shark they assume to the one responsible for the earlier attacks?
A: Hooper's reaction is very surprised. He is not satisfied when the men catch a big shark because he knows that it is not the right shark. From his knowledge of the ocean, he can easily tell that the big shark caught was not the one. He is also not satisfied with the catching of the big shark because the people primarily did this to relieve stress from people on the island so they wouldn't worry about the sharks anymore. Also, the mayor makes his money in the summer, so if there was so much concern with the shark then they may have to close down the beaches thus, cutting off income.
Q#9) How does the mood of the film change when the vacationers first arrive for the Fourth of July?
A: The mood becomes kind of unsettling because, we know there is a shark in the water and all these people are coming to the beach. We don't know who will eventually go into the water, although many people go in the water, but if someone does, then there is the great risk of the shark attacking the people.
Q#10) What kind of shot type does Spielberg use in the next shark attack and why is this effective as our 1st look at the shark?
A: Spielberg uses a kind of almost over the head look so when we do see the shark, we see the sharks face primarily. This is effective because, for example, if we saw the back end of the shark then we would see and probably not feel anything from it. But Spielberg shows us the sharks face and all it's mighty glory. We see the sharks piercing black eyes, massive jaw, and it's razor sharp teeth. This shot of the shark is effective because we see the many features of the shark and then we know that the shark is huge and a force to be reckoned with. The shot allows us, the viewer, to take more in.