FILM OPENING DECONSTRUCITON- JAWS (1975)

One of the most famous horror films to ever be made is Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Set in the seemingly peaceful island town of Amity, not all is well as a series of attacks on the residents of the island start to happen. It is up to Police chief Martin Brody to assemble a team to stop the shark that is wreaking havoc in the shores of Amity island.

The film opens with a bunch of young people drinking and sitting by the campfire.  Various couples are kissing and generally having a nice time. Then ,in a pan,Chrissie teases one of the boys in the group and entices him to playfully chase her. During the case scene they begin to remove their clothes and end up on the beach at which point she says that she is going skinny dipping and suggests that he join her. The lighting throughout the whole sequence is very dark and this enhances the ominous feeling of the scene.

A long shot of Chrissie swimming in the ocean is feature at an angle below her is zooming in on her   constantly. This is the point of view of the shark getting closer to its prey, it puts the audience in the position of the shark, perhaps making audiences uncomfortable.

Then a close up shot of a happy Chrissie smiling and calling to her love interest on the beach (who is in the process of undressing), who is highly intoxicated and close to passing out, asking him to join her in the water.

 Another close up shot of Chrissie from below is shown briefly which leads to Chrissie being dragged under water in a close up shot, this close up shot is particularly effective as you can see the horror on her face, even though the shot is dark(which for me at least enhances the scene, as it could be argued that the whole situation is shrouded in darkness as it Chrissie has no idea hat is going on). Another notable thing about this shot is that the iconic Jaws theme starts to play. The theme is so iconic that even if you haven't seen the film you have at least heard it, and for first time viewers they have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.

The medium shot that follows  shows Chrissie being dragged around, which is combined with close up shots of her face. The fast paced editing demonstrates the chaotic nature of her ordeal, with is furthered when we see the look of terror on her face.

For a short moment in a medium shot, Chrissie manages to grab hold of the buoy and the carnage stops, making the audience think that she may make it out alive, but this sense oh hope is snatched away when the chaos resumes and she is yet again being thrashed about in the water, the sounds included are her screams of terror and the phrasing of the water, I feel that this really puts the audience in the scene. 

Then, in a final close up of Chrissie, she screams for help but it's futile and she is quickly pulled under the water- this time for good. After this the music stops completely and all we hear is the sound of the buoy. 

The next shot is a long shot of her friend lying on the beach passed out.The way the scene changes from absolute terror to a calm atmosphere shows how quickly a situation can change. It created an effective opening and sets the tone for the rest of the film. An example being when all the children are in the water by the beach enjoying themselves and suddenly the tone changes from happiness to absolute chaos when yet again the shark claims another victim, this time a little boy.

The whole sequence is effective because it creates a real sense of hopelessness. Chrissie is all alone in the water and no one is around to help her. The darkness creates an ominous tone and this fits as Chrissie and the audience don't know whats going on below the waves. The use of sound enhances the tension and terror especially the iconic Jaws theme, along with the fast paced editing. All of these aspects make one of the most memorable and iconic film openings in history.