Download Jaws

HORROR DAY 1
Bellringer
 Why do you believe people watch horror
movies? Describe what elements you believe
make a horror movie scary.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhlcux66s
Why Do We Become Scared?
 Watch this V-Sauce video and consider all of
the ways, we become scared. Think about
how horror films utilize these factors.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• The Blair Witch Project was one of the first “found footage” horror films
• Found Footage is a plot device in which all or substantial part of a fictional
film is presented as if it were discovered after an event has taken place.
• The film relates the story of three student filmmakers who disappeared
while hiking. The events on screen are seen through the camera of one or
more of the characters.
• This film lead the way for many films like Cloverfield and Paranormal
Activity.
Terms to Remember
 Cognitive Dissonance- is the feeling of uncomfortable




tension which comes from holding two conflicting
thoughts in the mind at the same time.
Ambiguity-Uncertainty or inexactness
Vagueness- not clear or distinct to the sight or any other
sense; perceptible or recognizable only in an indefinite
way
The Uncanny: The opposite of what is familiar. It is a
Freudian concept of an instance where something can be
both familiar yet alien at the same time, resulting in a
feeling of it being uncomfortably strange.
Motif: a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic
or literary composition.
Jaws
 Released June 1st ,1975
 Directed by Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s
List)
 Considered the 1st summer blockbuster film.
 Did not gradually release film to public. The
studio opted to utilize a wide-release,
opening everywhere all at once.
Troubled Shoots
 Jaws was behind schedule and over budget,
largely due to the mechanical shark breaking
down too often. This forced Spielberg to become
creative about how he used Jaws in the film.
John Williams’ score became a character all its
own.
 Jaws, the shark, is only on-screen for less than 8
minutes in this entire film. By 1977, two of the
most iconic characters of all time, Jaws and
Darth Vader, combined for only 20 total minutes
of screen-time.
Reception
 Jaws won three Academy Awards for Best
Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score,
and Best Sound. Nominated for Best Picture.
 Highest grossing film of all time for 1 year.
Until Star Wars overtook it. Made for 12
million, but generated 470 million dollars.
 First film to break 100 million dollars.
 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Reception Continued
 Just as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) had made showers
a new source of fear years before, Jaws created a terror of
sharks that continues to this day, evidenced by the
popularity of such pop culture events as the Discovery
networks "Shark Week," a series of programs dedicated
solely to the sea animal.
 Reduced beach attendance in 1975 was attributed to the
anxiety caused by the movie, along with an increase in
shark sightings. It is still regarded as responsible for
ongoing negative stereotypes about sharks and their
behavior and for leading to what has been known as the
"Jaws effect," inspiring scores of fishermen to kill thousands
of the animals in shark-fishing tournaments.
Jaws as a Horror Film
 Jaws, built on the mainstream appetite for
horror, created by films such as The Exorcist, but
gave us a monster that was, uniquely, neither
human, nor supernatural, nor the result of
mutation. Sharks are real. They're out there,
swimming around, snacking on swimmers, right
now. The movie's success is rooted in this
terrifying premise, as well as in the inspiration
taken, in terms of marketing and distribution as
well as content, from the big monster movies of
the 1950s.
Jaws as a Horror Film
 By broad definition, a horror movie "provokes a
feeling of fear, dread or tension in the viewer.“
 But as a genre, many folks think of "horror" movies
as more Poe-like ... dark houses, creepy woods,
vampires, werewolves, things like that. Maybe some
blood and gore thrown in.
 Of course, Jaws does have some dark and creepy
and some blood and gore (bitten off leg with
continuity-error sneaker). Still, it doesn't have that
Lovecraft ambiance.
The Motif in Jaws
 The sound is the main
motif of the film. The two
note music is heard
whenever the shark
attacks.
 The music even at times
stands in for Jaws,
suggesting that the
predator is approaching
even if it is not seen on
screen.
 This cues the audience
expectations, allowing the
motif to build tension.
Critics
 “I still find this film pretty terrifying.” Judith Lucy At the




Movies
“Enjoyment derived from tension and fear, interspersed
with brief breathers to allow nerve-relieving chuckles and
smiles”- Alexander Huls Movie Mezzanine
“This is a suspense classic that leaves teeth-marks”-Peter
Bradshaw Guardian
“One of the greatest horror films made. The opening
sequence is not only a classic, it's still frightening nearly
three decades after it was made.” Forrest Hartman Reno
Gazette-Journal
“It was the beast that launched a thousand monster
movies.” Christopher Null Filmcritic.com
JAWS DAY 2
Bellringer Using Jaws as your subject matter,
discuss one of the following terms from day 1 as
it connects to what you have seen in the movie
so far.
 Cognitive Dissonance- is the feeling of uncomfortable
tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts
in the mind at the same time.
 Ambiguity-Uncertainty or inexactness
 Vagueness- not clear or distinct to the sight or any other
sense; perceptible or recognizable only in an indefinite way
 The Uncanny: The opposite of what is familiar. It is a
Freudian concept of an instance where something can be
both familiar yet alien at the same time, resulting in a
feeling of it being uncomfortably strange.
 Motif: a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or
literary composition.
Review: Mood vs. Tone
Tone: director/filmmaker’s attitude toward the
subject matter as revealed through the events
in the film.
Mood- the feelings created in the viewer by a
scene or movie as a whole.
Tone- how the director feels
Mood – how we feel when we watch
Review: Foreshadowing
When the director gives implications or hints
early in the movie that point towards
something that will be extremely relevant as
the plot unfolds. Foreshadowing helps the
audience to accept the things that happen at
the end of the movie.
Sound
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
 How does each trailer’s music contribute to the
film’s overall mood?
ACE Paragraph
 After watching Steven Spielberg’s Jaws,
explain how Spielberg uses various elements
(sound/music, ambiguity, uncertainty,
cognitive dissonance, surprise) to create a
certain mood (identify it!) in the film. You
should cite a specific scene as evidence.
 Use ACE paragraph format.
 Answer the prompt.
 Cite your evidence
 Expand/explain your evidence