It’s not the shark but the anticipation of the shark attack that terrified the audience in Steven Spielberg‘s ‘Jaws.’ Spielberg’s one of the most defining films took mammoth technical innovations. The film’s antagonist, Bruce the Shark, came with its team. It took 20 assistants to look after the shark alone.
Almost $150,000 was spent on its making, with 13 technicians wearing scuba suits operating it through complicated wiring mechanisms. Spielberg has mapped all technical intricacies. But little did he expect the elements of nature to go against all his plans. Spielberg has no fond memories of the problem-infested production.
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Steven Spielberg Faced Several Issues While Filming ‘Jaws’
John Sturgess was the first choice to film Peter Benchley’s novel ‘Jaws.’ But ultimately, it went to an overeager Spielberg. He had directed only two feature films till then but had huge ambitions for ‘Jaws.’ He saw the thematic similarities to his movie ‘Dual,’ as both stories were about “these leviathans targeting everymen.”
Despite struggling with the project, the 26-year-old director began prepping the film. He insisted on shooting the movie in an ocean. For authenticity, the producers allowed him to film near Martha’s Vineyard. Spielberg spent a lot of time creating the multiple mechanical sharks. However, they refused to work during the scene. To make it worse, Spielberg was convinced he would overcome the elements of nature.
This mechanical failure would amount to a delay in the shooting schedule and budget concerns. The cast also suffered from seasickness and sunburns. Spielberg was worried about being fired since he could complete the film in the 55-day shoot. Ultimately, the stars aligned, and the sharks worked.
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The Legacy Of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’
‘Jaws’ was an immediate blockbuster. It became the first film to make over $100 million at the box office. The movie also successfully scared an entire generation of going near water bodies. But jokes apart, Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster also won three of its four Academy Award nominations.
Thanks to the nifty marketing campaign, slick writing, and the genius John Williams scores, the film became a landmark achievement in cinema. The film’s success would allow Spielberg to take on more big-budget spectacles like ‘Indiana Jones.’ It also spawned a genre of movies where ferocious sea creatures terrorize people.
In 2001, the United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, recognizing its importance as a landmark horror film and the first “summer movie.” The film expanded into three sequels- ‘Jaws 2’ (1978), ‘Jaws 3-D’ (1983), and ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ (1987). Spielberg didn’t direct them, but some of his original characters appear in other ‘Jaws’ sequels.
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