Jaws - Opening Scene Analysis

The first thing the viewer sees in the opening scene to Jaws is a long shot of a character swimming in the ocean. Using the long shot here emphasizes the size of the ocean and informs the audience that the character is probably a long way away from shore and shows how vulnerable the character is at this point.

Soon after this, a sound motif begins the play in the background. And the camera shot switches to one under the water - looking up at the character. This again shows the vulnerability of the character and also gives the impression that something is watching her.

The underwater shot suddenly begins the get closer, and the shot changes back to over the water. The character the begins to be pulled underwater, and starts to panic and scream - attempting to swim away from whatever is attacking her. This has set an enigma as the viewer will want to find out what is attacking the character, and also why the character has been attacked.