Jaws Opening Sequence

Narrative Structure:
The narrative structure of Jaws is linear and chronological, we see the events happen one after another in the order in which they happened. The scene is created in three parts. A beginning and middle and an end. The prologue of the opening sequence is like a miniature story that leads up to the main story. The beginning and ending of the opening are broguth back to an equilibrium; everything is calm and peaceful.

Thriller Codes and Conventions:
There are many codes and conventions of a typical thriller in Jaws, this being the tension filled music, the female character being the victim, screaming, having the other character – who could possibly save her- being unaware that anything is wrong. The girl, thinking she is safe when she gets to the buoy but she is not and the shark attacks her again. We also have the use of enigma codes where the audience is lead to ask many questions like for example when we get that POV shot from the shark we , as an audience, automatically ask, 'what is watching the girl?', 'Is it dangerous?' etc... Also never seeing what is attacking her is an example of partial vision this fear of the unknown a typical convention of a thriller.

Camerawork:
The cinematography in the scene where the audience has the view point of the shark is giving the audience an idea that she is not safe and which direction the danger is coming from. The wide shots of the sky and water also show how it was easy for her to think that the water is safe because nothing looks out of the ordinary even from the widest point of view.There are few props in the opening apart from the fire, showing that it is almost night time and how there will not be many people around. Also the setting gives the audience an idea of the location of the film.The sound we hear in the opening of Jaws are the tension building music leading up to when the girl is being attacked in the water and the loud drum beat accompanying the attack which stops abruptly when the girl goes underwater for the final time.The editing of the sequence when the two teenagers are running to the sea and when the girl is being attacked is shown in quick fast paced, frantic cuts of shots from different angles. In contrast to the calm, static, lingering shots of the boy who has fallen asleep on the beach.

Mise-En-Scene:
The opening sequence is set at night time/evening time. It is filled with young students having a beach party carrying out troublesome tasks like drinking, smoking and kissing excessively. (Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll). The fire in the opening scene is the only bit of light throughout the sequence. It creates a great contrast between light and dark and creates shadows. It also shows the contrast between the size of the fire in comparison to the ocean, so that could create a sort of fore-shadowing in the sense that something bad about to happen involving the great, big ocean.

Sound:
The beginning starts very quietly, then the middle part where the tension is building the music/sound becomes gradually louder and louder until the climactic ending becomes silent again. The silence at the end is a good representation of death. The screaming ans splashing about when the attack is happening is a great contrast to the boy lying peacefully on the sand near her. You kind of expect the boy to hear her struggle and the audience get a glimpse of hope that the boy will come and rescue the girl, but when that doesn't happen, the shark successfully kills the girl and the scene becomes silent once more.

Editing:
Continuity editing is used throughout to help with the flowing of one scene to another. Match shots and shot reverse shot are used between the girl and the boy to show the sexual attraction between the two. Cross-cutting is used during the attack scene when it cuts back to the boy laying peacefully on the sand. This gives the audience a slight glimpse of hope that the boy might actually rescue the girl. Also, at the very end of the sequence two shots are dissolved into one. An early night shot is dissolved to a late shot to show the passing of time.

Graphics:
The title is in block capital for emphasis. They credits are on screen as the film is playing and are centered in the middle of the screen.