Tension and Suspense the Novel and the Opening Scene of the Film Jaws

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Tension and Suspense the Novel and the Opening Scene of the Film Jaws

Peter Benchley wrote "Jaws" the novel before it was made into a film

directed by Steven Spielberg. "Jaws" is a thriller with the main aim

being to build up suspense and tension. In the novel Peter Benchley

uses many variations of language techniques to emphasise important

points that build up suspense. He also uses sentence and paragraph

structure to affect the reader in many different ways. Steven

Spielberg on the other hand uses different camera angles and shots

alongside lighting effects to create atmosphere and tension. In the

background he uses music and sound effects to add to the dramatic

visual images he creates. Finally Steven Spielberg uses specific

dialogue to show the victims feelings and emotions.

At the beginning of the film the soft, relaxing underwater noises of

communicating sharks instantly sets the scene and creates the feeling

of being deep underwater. The familiar beach sounds have a calming

effect, which immediately lulls the audience into a false sense of

security. The black screen that appears at the start of the film

doesn't provide the audience with anything interesting to look at so

the focus is strongly on the soundtrack. When the opening credits

appear, the contrast between the bold, white credits and the plain

black screen really stands out. The white credits could symbolize the

innocence and vulnerability of the victims against the black, evilness

of the shark. As the credits start to roll the first note of the

chilling "Jaws" music is struck. The peaceful aquatic sounds are

abruptly interrupted by the slow, deliberate minor strokes ...

... middle of paper ...

... him

and Chrissie really creates atmosphere. Every time the camera switches

to the boy the audience is reminded of how frantic the atmosphere

around Chrissie is. The contrast of these two opposite atmospheres

makes the attack seem far worse in the film than in the novel.

I think that the film involves the audience more than the novel

because the use of camera shots can bring the audience close to the

action. The shark's eye view is a very good shot and ultimately brings

the audience into the middle of all the panic and confusion. It also

build suspense as the audience can see exactly what the shark can see

and when the shark is advancing towards Chrissie's legs they know

exactly what the shark is aiming for. When the attack is going on the

close-ups at water level make the audience feel like they're in the

water.

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