Assignment for english

The scene I chose in the movie Jaws (1974) is commonly dubbed the ‘fright machine’ by most fans . In this particular scene a traumatized sailor dramatically describes his happenstance with a vicious shark. The scene demonstrates the movie’s excellence to create an emotional response from the viewer by crafting tension using a series of theatrical effects: dynamic camera views, dramatic dialogue and subtle music.

The placement of the desired focal point is essential in any movie production. Generally the director centers the being/ object requiring attention, resulting in increased awareness from the viewer, however, in this scene, Spielberg departs from this technique using an alternative but equally effective method of slightly blurring the background and increasing the size of focal point by giving it a large proportion of the frame. Spielberg uses this method two minutes twenty-one seconds into the scene when the actor describing a traumatic encounter with a shark that has “lifeless black eyes” becomes the largest object in the frame. The visual magnification of the actor is combined with the blurred background to redirect the viewer’s attention onto the actor describe his vivid encounter. The intelligent camera use places key value onto the actor describing his distressing encounter. By placing the viewer’s main focus onto the disturbed sailor, his serious facial expressions, and vocal tone it adds emphasis on what he is saying. The viewer reacts by sympathizing for the sailor as a result of gaining an acute insight into the truthful animalistic nature of the shark. By understanding why the sailor is traumatized the viewer also becomes afraid of the shark.

While camera angles produce a sympathetic response from the viewer alternative techniques are also used to create a response from the viewer. An illustrated example of this is the way music is used to create an emotional stimulus. The music leads the viewer to become tense and restless by fading into

the scene unannounced. The music only becomes noticeable after one minute twenty-seven seconds into the scene. This is because it fades into the scene increasing volume gradually. By producing the scene in such a way that the music subtly fades into the scene, increasing in volume gradually. By producing the scene in such a way that the music subtly fades into the scene, Spielberg illustrates how the Shark crept up on the sailors, as the sailor speaking is describing. The viewer responds to this by having empathy for the sailor, consequently, the viewer becomes afraid by understand how the sailor felt.

Although music and camera views effectively induce emotional responses from the viewer the most direct way to scare them is through dialogue. In this scene the actor promotes a well thought out script that uses series of pauses and vivid imagery to shock the viewer. One vivid description is when he says, “When he comes at you he don’t seem to be living, until he bites you and then his black eyes roll over white” By using pauses and vivid imagery Spielberg builds up tension within the scene as the viewer can visualize what is going on. Viewers responds to this by becoming anxious and afraid.

Conclusively, the use of camera angles, acute dialogue and relevant music is used to scare the viewer by aiding them to understand the character. Spielberg’s knowledge of these cinematic techniques allows an audience to understand the character’s feelings and emotions as a result we are obliged to feel the same way and empathize with the character. The scene’s music appeals to the audience emotionally as they are able to identify with the intense sailor thus scaring them. Camera angles play a key part in empathizing the sailor’s emotional connection between the audience and the actor force the audience to feel what he’s feeling and also become afraid. The final cinematic technique used, dialogue, indices a dark atmosphere with vivid imagery as a result increasing the amount of agitation in the audience.