Analysis of an opening scence- Jaws

Jaws
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SnZmUjhAA - The URL to watch the clip.

Mise-en-scene 

Location/setting:

 On the first opening scene of the film it is set on a beach at night with the sea in view of the shot.  There is a party going on, with a girl and a boy highlighted, to start the film.  The girl runs off to the sea to have a swim.  From the girl going for a swim at night the audience gets a feeling that something will happened to her as the scene is set at night.  Being night, this is a typical feature that starts in thriller films so this film jaws has started of the film in a typical thriller way.  The setting indicates tension and suspense- all of which are typical features of thrillers. Because there is a party, the audience gets the impression that the opening characters are young, properly college students. Props make the scene what it is by the fire, which make the scene feel like a party. The characters are drinking beer, as beer bottles are associated with partying, this prop makes the film feel more a college student party. The setting make the audience continue to watch the film to see what events will unfold. This is a realistic location as college students do go for beach parties, and some people do go for a night swim.

Costume:

The costume involved in this are the clothes the young people are wearing. From there clothes and hair styles the audience gets a the theme that it is set in 1975.  Also from the clothes you can tell that it is beach scene as the clothes are beach wear of which the girls are wearing.  What the girl wears (Chrissie) when she is running towards the sea indicates that she is going for a swim.

Lighting

The main source of light that the audience can see is the light from the fire, the corners of the frame are dull and the sea is dark but can been seen to the audience so they know the sea is there. The mood created is tension and suspense as this scene is in night.  The lighting does indicate genre, because the opening of the is scene is set at night, a typical feature of thriller.     

Figure/expression and movement

At the beginning a boy is looking at a girl at the party, he goes over and starts to talk to her.  From this moment you can see the relationship is forming. It is not an ever so important relationship as it sets the film up for the audience. From the girl running into the sea with the girl running after him, this creates a short burst of tension as to whether or not he will get to the girl before the shark gets the girl.    

The main characters:

There are 3 main characters, a man who supplies a boat, a policeman, and a marine biologist. The policeman is introduced at the beginning to sort out this shark problem.

Camera shots

Two shot is used at the beginning for the film for the boy and girl to establish their relationship. 

Genre:

The genre of this film is a thriller. It stays true to the genre by building suspense when the great white shark will attack; it creates suspense by the music it plays which gets faster and louder as the shark approaches the victim, that could die (in most of the film when the shark approaches the victim normally does die). The audience knows when the music is played that the shark will attack but even when it does happen it does shock the audience- which is what the thriller genre does. The setting the jaws is different to an normal thriller with being set in the sea although the 3 characters are alone at sea- which is another type of feature that a thriller has- to build suspense and tension for the audience which is a typical feature of the thriller film.