COMPARISON BETWEEN AN OLD SCHOOL THRILLER AND A MODERN THRILLER

As time progressed, so did the movie world. Movies nowadays are pretty different from how they used to be a few years ago. They have  progressed, constantly improving themselves for the better. And as time goes by, the more the old movies vary from the new modern ones.

Here are some examples of the differences between old school thrillers and modern thrillers. 

1) the special effects

in the modern thrillers, the special effects would be more advanced and convincing to the eye, than the special effects in the old school thrillers. Thanks to the advanced technology we have now, there are no limits actually, to what we would be able to do. People do all sorts of odd things with technology nowadays. 

2) the plot

the usual plots in modern day thrillers also vary quite a bit from the plots that used to take place in the old school thrillers. The stories tend to be more complicated and full of plot twists nowadays, unlike the olden days when everything was usually simple and easy to understand.

3) the sound effects

just like the special effects, sound effects also improved and advanced becoming more realistic and convincing to the audience. Different variations of sound effects were introduced as time went on too.

4) the theatricality

the olden thrillers tend to be more theatrical and showy-like than the modern thrillers.

There are actually many more differences but these are just a few examples. 

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heT4V1n3swk

CONCLUDING ANALYSIS

Overall,  all of Steven Spielberg's hard work paid off in the end. He produced one of the greatest movies of all time. The journey was  a little bumpy along the way, but no obstacle could get in his way. He is really an inspiration to all of us. He is an imagery of hope, dedication and never giving up. We should all follow in his footsteps in everything we do. He is also living proof that nothing is impossible. If we really put our mind to it and work hard, we would be unstoppable; invincible. 

And once again, if you have not seen the movie Jaws before, reward yourself and go watch it. You would not regret it. 

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLkkbW08hVI

TENSION IN THE PLOT

The tension of a movie is the suspense. The suspense is what keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat, constantly wondering what is going to happen next. Like what people usually say, "The suspense is killing me!" signifying how much the suspense is making them want to explode. 

There is a whole lot of tension in Jaws. (not very surprising as it is a thriller movie after all, thriller movies are filled with tension; they are made of tension and suspense)

Most of the tension occurred when Chief Brody, Matt Hooper and Quint set out to sea to hunt for the shark. 

(sit back, enjoy the rideeeeeeee)

But even before the three set out to hunt for the killer shark, there was some tension/suspense in the previous scenes too. For example, before victims got attacked, the camera would show their legs underwater, and then play the oh-so-famous Jaws theme music. Leaving the audience, biting off their fingernails, wondering "What's gonna happen next???" (watch the following clip)

If you come to think of it, some of the characters did very illogical things in the movie. For example, the mayor. He knows for a fact that there is a shark in the sea, that is utterly dangerous and is eating everybody up, BUT STILL he does not want to close the beach down??? What nonsense. Characters like this in movies really get on my nerves and make me want to punch them in the face. 

But actually, these characters are all part of the tension. They were created to have annoying personalities like that, to do nonsensical things, to create suspense. To keep the audience on the edge of their seats (pissing them off too) Because if there were no characters like that, the movie wouldn't be so appealing anymore. 

Some examples of tension in other scenes are when, they set out to sea and wait for the shark to approach so they could kill it. That is biggest tension of the movie. 

There are good ways of utilising tension and bad ways of utilising tension. An example of a good tension would be: not holding the suspense for too long as you may lose the audience's attention and interest; you would cause for it to be draggy. Prolong it but not too long.

An example of a bad tension on the other hand is when it is not certain on what it is focusing on. You have to make sure the tension is based on a specific, not all over the place.

From the observations above, you can say that Jaws used the right technique of tension. It suited Jaws' plot well like a puzzle piece in the right spot. 

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlghiAr5yEs

CAMERA ANGLE ANALYSIS

Just like how SOUND plays an important role in movies, the CAMERA ANGLES are also as important. If the camera angling of all the shots in a movie were to all be terrible, the outcome would be even worse.

Here is an example of a photo with taken from a bad angle. Doesn't look right does it? (it gives me a headache urgh)

Good CAMERA ANGLES can affect the shots whether in a video or a photo, in a good way. Good camera angles are even capable of making something that actually doesn't look that impressive, and turn it into something that looks purely awesome.

Jaws consists of good camera angles in every scene of the film, making it very watch-worthy and impressive. 

**good camera angles ensure whatever is being taken to look right and not out of place**

The following is an analysis of some of the camera angles used in scenes in Jaws. 

The above image was taken from one of the very first scenes of the movie. The camera angle used is the "Low Angle". A low angle creates the notion for us to look up at the character onscreen as the camera is low. It is as if we are at the bottom of the sea looking up at the girl swimming high above us. She is the dominant one here in the scene, while we are all looking up to her. 

The light is shining from behind the girl, therefore creating lowlight/limelight atmosphere which is very calming and soothing to the eye. I myself, find this one of my favourite camera angle-shots in the movie. It has a kind of magical feel to it too. 

The above image was taken from a scene at the beach using the "Close Up" angle. A close up is usually like the above; when the camera is zoomed in on something, usually a person's head. This helps us to really, clearly see the person's facial expressions. Sometimes it can even make an effect on us to be able to feel his/her emotions. We can feel Brody's emotion of wary as he looks out into the sea when he hears a scream. This camera angle effect is usually to really hit the audience by making them feel the character up-close. 

The above camera angle displayed is the "Track" angle. The track angle is basically when the camera moves as if on track/following the person or object in the particular scene. It is as if we are also in the water swimming with them, following them deeper into sea. This creates a very realistic effect to the situation. As if we are really there in the movie, in that place, that time, together with these people. This effect is also usually used during 3-D displays to make it really realistic.

The above camera angle displayed is the "Mid-shot" angle. A mid-shot angle is when the camera only shows the person from their middle up and a little of the background setting. In this case, it shows Chief Brody from his torso up and a little of the boat setting behind him. This gives out the effect of Chief Brody being dominant, like when the Low Angle made the girl dominant in the scene. He is also in such of a position that the audience eyes' will all be on him as he speaks, you cannot take his eyes of him; he is in the centre of attention onscreen (thanks to the camera angle)

The above camera angle used is the "Point Of View" angle. Also known as POV for short. A point of view angle is when the camera takes up position of the character so that we can feel as if we are in the body of the character, seeing everything from their point of view. The photo above is actually seen from Chief Brody's point of view as he looks out into sea when he hears a scream. It is as if we are Chief Brody inspecting the sea. It gives out a very realistic feel (similar to the "Track" angle)

The above camera angle used is called the "Pan" angle. Pan is short for panoramic. A panoramic angle is when the camera moves in an arc from a fixed point. Meaning, the camera moves around the object in a  wide and long motion, allowing you to see the whole object (as if you were walking in a circle around it) In the above picture, the shark is taken circling around the fishing boat. This angle allows us to be able to see the full picture, to see what is all around surrounding. It helps give a wide overlook which is refreshing and keeps you out of curiosity.

Again, imagine if all the scenes above were taken from bad angles and not the angles displayed above? The movie would not be the same wouldn't it? This is why deciding on the right & suitable camera angles are very important and require sufficient planning and thinking beforehand.

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhL1suK-OJU

SOUND/MUSIC ANALYSIS

Jaws (1975) won Academy Awards and Oscars for Best Sound, Best Music and for Original Dramatic Score (all music composed by John Williams, who also composed the theme song for the very famous, hit movie; Star Wars) 

John Williams at work (Y)

SOUND plays a huge and important role in movies. Without sound, the impacts that are supposed to be made will fail to give any whatsoever. Good sound and good sound effects are crucial in helping a movie give their greatly desired impact to their audience. No great sound, no great impact, simple. Imagine a horror story without sound? Not very scary isn't it? The sound effects are also important to help make a scene more realistic and convincing. 

SOUND really plays a huge role in Jaws. For example, when at the beach, there are seagull noises (sound effects) to make it seem more realistic, or when the shark approaches, you would hear screams (also sound effects) to give the impact to the audience that there is real danger among them. If not for these sound effects, the movie would not seem as great or as scary anymore. This works the same way for every movie. 

The sound effects in Jaws are very impressive if I can say so myself. The movie even has its own signature music (when the shark approaches, a specific tune will be played) So, you would know when the shark is nearby and ready to attack. "Someone's gonna dieeee"

There are different classifications for sound. They are, diegetic sounds, non-diegetic sounds, parallel sounds and contrapuntal sounds. 

- Diegetic sounds are when you can see where the sound is coming from onscreen. 

- Non-diegetic sounds are when there are no signs/no source of the sound being played onscreen. 

- Parallel sounds are when the sound compliments/comments on what we see onscreen 

- Contrapuntal sounds are when the sound against your expectations (e.g happy music during a sad scene)

The following are some clips from the movie together with some specifications about their sound effects.

The video clip shows a girl and a boy who are about to go swimming. 

Atmosphere: Calm, Happy

Sound Effects: party music (faint)(non-diegetic sound), people chattering (faint)(non-diegetic sound), seagulls (non-diegetic sound), sea waves (faint) (diegetic sound)

Skills used: uses the above sound effects altogether to create a calm and happy atmosphere.

This video clip shows a girl swimming in the sea, and then being attacked by the deadly shark.

Atmosphere: At first it was calm.  But then it progressed to becoming hectic, intense and terrifying.

Sound Effects: For the first part of clip: calm music (non-diegetic sound), soft splashes of water as the girl swam (diegetic sound)

For the second part of clip: famous Jaws theme music (non-diegetic sound, parallel sound), sudden shocking sound effect (non-diegetic sound, parallel sound), hysterical screaming (diegetic sound), shark gnarling noises (diegetic sound)

Skills used: uses the above sound effects to create a calm atmosphere at first, but then used a different set of sound effects to create a hectic, intense, terrifying atmosphere.

This video clip shows a scene at the beach in which Chief Brody is having a conversation with a citizen requesting something of him, when he thought a shark attack was occurring.

Atmosphere: Loud, Noisy

Sound Effects: girl screaming (playfully)(diegetic sound), tons of people chattering (diegetic sound), waves splashing (diegetic sound)

Skills used: uses the above sound effects to create a loud and noisy atmosphere.

This video clip shows the discussion/conference of how to solve the shark problem.

Atmosphere: Noisy, Hectic, Annoying

Sound Effects: people arguing with one another (diegetic sound), people raising their voices (contrapuntal sound), people chattering (diegetic sound)

Skills used: uses the above sound effects to create a noisy, hectic and annoying atmosphere. 

The video clip shows the scene in which Chief Brody's famous line takes place (FUN FACT**Roy Scheider actually improvised and came up with that line on his own, on the spot)

Atmosphere: Worrying, Shocking

Sound Effects: sudden shock sound effect (when the shark arises) (contrapuntal sound, non-diegetic sound), worrying music/sound effect (non-diegetic sound, parallel sound)

Skills used: uses the above sound effects to create a worrying and shocking atmosphere.

Imagine all the above clips without sound? (I know I am repeating myself on this but I just want to make it very clear) NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER and the scenes??There would be nothing helping to make them seem realistic at all. You can also see that each clip has its own atmosphere to it, sound effects and skills used. Every little thing counts and has its own purpose to it. Never knew sound was this important, huh?

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsb9-p2sqO8&feature=youtu.be

JAWS (1975)

Jaws, Steven Spielberg's shark mega-hit was released on June 1, 1975. It was based off Peter Benchley's best selling novel which was released a year before.(FUN FACT**Peter Benchley made a special appearance in the movie as a news reporter)

(WOO!!! PETER BENCHLEY)

The legendary, Steven Spielberg who is well known for his amazing films (Indiana Jones, E.T, Jurassic Park, e.g.) was only 29 years old at the time. Can you imagine, at 29, being able to produce the FIRST EVER summer blockbuster?? (Yes, it was the first ever summer blockbuster to ever come about) Pretty JAWSome if I can say so myself. It is also known to be one of the greatest movies of all time, and has won more awards than the number of times I daydream about Nandos (and Nandos is usually all I ever think about)

(STEPHEN SPIELBERG!! LEGENDARY)

The movie stars actors, Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, a police chief, Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper, a shark specialist and Robert Shaw as Quint who is a professional shark hunter. They are the main characters and icons of the movie. When you think of Jaws, you think of them (whoa) And the shark. The shark eating everyone up. 

(THE TRIO!!!)

Now, I am pretty sure, my blog is not the only time you have read or heard about how amazing Jaws is, or how many awards it scored. It is amazing, therefore it gets amazing reviews and wins countless awards. But what is it... What is it actually, that makes Jaws so amazing? What are the elements implemented that bring it to the top?

For me, what I think is really mind blowing are the special effects. We're talking about the 70s here. They did not have all the fancy schmancy technology we have now, but still they managed to produce such an awesome outcome. For example, the shark, which is one of the most important roles in the movie; the icon of Jaws. 

This terrifying icon was actually a robot, a mechanical shark. "But it seemed so real" yes it did. I remember thinking to myself when I first watched the movie, "How do they train the shark this well that it knows not to eat the people up, but to only pretend just for the movie???" 

They really managed to make the (mechanical) shark so scary, so terrifying and vicious in its movements, hats off to them. (like when the shark was attacking a victim, its big, sharp white teeth tearing them to pieces; really terrifyingly detailed making it very real)

(RAWRRRRRR)

With a click of a button, the shark will begin its terrifying, vicious movements and attacks in the water, like how you press go on the remote of a remote controlled toy car for it to start moving. 

This is really mind blowing to me, the fact that they managed to make something so advanced like this last time without all the modern-day gadgets and technology. This shows that there are seriously no limits to what you do. If you want it, you work for it, and you'll get it. And that is exactly what Steven Spielberg did.

*FUN FACT?? throughout the movie, there were actually a few technical difficulties that kept on re-occuring with the shark, (It kept on breaking down) but, they managed to work around this problem by making it look as if they were creating suspense & that is why the shark did not appear much (the actual reason being: the shark could not function so we have to improvise) But at the end of the day, the shark still managed to scare the living daylights out of millions of people.

The actors and actresses (characters) of the movie are also a part of what makes an amazing movie, amazing. Let's say, if their performances were not up to par, would the movie still look good? Of course not. This is why, the casting, is very important. Steven Spielberg did a good job with it.

The performances of the characters onscreen in Jaws was really very convincing (convinces you that they are real people, in real situations) Each of the actors and actresses managed to accurately capture and dominate their roles in the movie very well. For example, Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, a police chief. He incorporated all of his character's (Chief Brody) characteristics and personality traits fairly well (e.g. he is very scared of water)

 (ROY SCHEIDER!!)

This film is not exactly suitable for those of younger ages. This is because it does contain violence (considering the shark gnarling on his victims and all the blood) This may traumatise the younger ones. Let them stick to their own adorable little movies first, they'll be able to watch Jaws before they know it.

This film is a mixture of thriller and comedy. A little romantic too. A thriller because of its exciting plot (WHAT ISN'T EXCITING ABOUT SHARKS??), a comedy because it is funny (funny because of characters, characters' actions)

(Uh,Matt....?)

 And a little romantic because of some romantic elements involved (Chief Brody and his wife are very loving)

The following are a few elements that a good movie possesses:

good storyline

good acting

good script

good editing of footage

good special effects

It is safe to say that Jaws has all of the above. The storyline is awesome, characters and acting was on point, the script was great, editing of footage was amazing and so were the special effects, without a doubt. **no sign of bad movie elements here**

I recommend for you (YES YOUU) if you have not watched it to watch it! You have to. Even if you are not exactly a fan of movies like this, watch it. There would be no regrets, I promise. Take it from me honestly, as at first (before I watched the movie) I thought of it as just one of those shark movies with no story, just a lot of killing. Those never appealed to me. But Jaws, Jaws is NOT like that. It is worth the time and money.  

MY VLOG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6xErKTvk8M&feature=youtu.be