In this essay I will analyse the ways Steven Spielberg builds suspense and scares the audience in the film Jaws. Steven Spielberg uses a variety of techniques to build suspense and frighten the audience. The factors that Spielberg uses to construct the film and impact the audience are, diegetic and non diegetic sounds, different camera angles to show facial expressions, and he uses colour, so that we can associate signs and symbols to certain events.
The nerve wracking thriller, with the tagline ‘don’t go in the water,’ was released originally in 1975. It is set in the grounds of Amity Island, America. It is set on 4th of July, American Independence Day, and is based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel, Jaws, which was inspired by the Jersey shore shark attack of 1916. The BBFC classification rating for this film is a 12. It was given an age rating of a 12 because of the general suspense and tension and overall terrifying and horrific scenes.
The police chief of Amity Island tries to protect beachgoers from a giant great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council, which wants the beach to remain open to draw a profit from tourists during the summer season. After several attacks, the police chief enlists the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. Together they all plan to put a stop to these horrific attacks.
The main characters in Jaws are, Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper and Captain Quint. Roy Scheider stars as Chief Martin Brody, who is the police chief who tries to close the beach for the protection of others. Matt Hooper is played by Richard Dreyfuss, the marine biologist, and Captain Quint is played by Robert Shaw, the professional shark hunter. Alongside the main characters, there are five victims throughout the film. The first victim was Chrissie Watkins, her remains were found on the beach. The second victim was Alex Kinter, the young boy on the lilo, followed by Ben the fisherman, who got...