Research into a Horror Opening Scene

The film I am looking at is Jaws directed by Steven Spielberg in 1975. It includes the cast of Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw and was produced by Universal Pictures. The opening scene of Jaws has a linear narrative which is split up into three different sections where the big event takes place in the middle scene. The beginning and ending both portray a sense of tranquillity and peace which is an effective way of starting a horror film. However, the dramatic shark attack that takes place straight away engages the audience and portrays the genre through the conventions in this opening scene. 

For example, the use of the the non-diegetic soundtrack as the 'creature' (which given the location and tile of the film we can assume is a shark) approaches and kills its victim along with the night time setting and young lady dying are all conventions that help to identify this as a horror film.   

The target audience for this film is older teenagers and adults who enjoy horror films as in this opening sequence there is a gruesome death which hints to the audience that this will happen throughout. The tracking shot using a variety of different camera angles introduces the characters Chrissie, the boy she is with and the setting of the beach. 

In this opening scene, a POV shot of the shark’s view is used to show underwater in the sea creating a fear of the unknown when displaying the credits. The use of the non-diegetic soundtrack when showing these credits portrays a sense of danger and creates suspense for the audience. The opening scene then cuts to teenagers who are drinking on the beach at night time which seems like a friendly safe environment that contrasts with the events about to take place. The use of lighting is effective as it is dark portraying a sense of danger and hinting at death following conventions of a horror film. The wide-angled establishing shot emphasises Chrissy’s vulnerability and worries the audience as we know something bad is going to happen. The soundtrack mirrors the storyline in this opening scene as it starts and finishes at a sense of calmness however it builds up as it starts slowly but then gets faster and louder creating tension and signifying danger to the audience as Chrissy is unaware of what is going to happen next, but the audience is. When Chrissy is being attacked by the shark, the shot duration is longer allowing the audience to see her struggle above water. However, the editing slows down even more engaging the audience as we know the shark is about to attack her. The juxtaposition of the sound used when Chrissy is being dragged underwater and she is gasping for air compared to the boy asleep on the sand shocks the audience as they are made to watch her violent death whilst he is asleep frustrating the audience. The silence in this opening scene at the end is an effective way of conveying death which contrasts with the intense soundtrack and diegetic screaming of the girl.

I believe this is an effective opening scene as it engages the audience straight away using the suspenseful non-diegetic soundtrack and the gruesome death that occurs in the first five minutes of the film. It also hints at the storyline and introduces us to the main location used throughout. It portrays the horror genre using death and the use of dark lighting hinting at danger.