JAWS Sound Case study~ Charles Shoemaker

 JAWS 

https://youtu.be/8_E5ZKX3XZc?si=vqUwQIR3UoTPNqlp 

Sounds 

• Asynchronous & diagetic sound of people talking in the back. 

• Diagetic & synchronous dialogue between the two main subjects running in frame. 

• Diagetic & synchronous sound of the female subject jumping into the water and swimming out to sea. 

• Diagetic & synchronous sound of the male subject (who's on the shore) yelling out to her and collapsing. 

• A cut back to the diagetic & synchronous sound of the female subject swimming even further out into the water 

• The scene cuts to a Pov shot (from the shark’s perspective) which is taken beneath her, the melodic & non-diagetic musical score starts to kick in.  This part of the score is melodic to symbolize the mystery and wonder of what is swimming underneath her.  

• Suddenly, the female is pulled underwater. The score disappears, and all that you hear is her diagetic & synchronous screams and gurgling noises as she is being thrashed around by an unknown beast.  

• The scene quickly cuts to the man passed out on the beach with a non-diagetic white noise sound playing, symbolizing his unconsciousness (due to alcohol intake). The juxtaposition of these two scenes next to each other represents the tranquility and terror one could experience out on the beach. 

• Cutting back to the woman who is being thrashed around, the score intensifies with a discordant sound. The diagetic & synchronous screams are discomforting even on rewatch. 

• Suddenly, she is pulled underwater for good. The score disappears; the sound of the woman also disappears. All the viewers are left with is a diagetic sound of the ocean waves crashing on one another. 

 

All of the sounds listed above help to immerse the audience in this beach night hangout. The audience isn’t let in on much of what is going on in the scene, but the sound effects put emphasis on how the character’s emotions are being portrayed on screen.  

The sounds of the woman screaming induces terror, and her being taken by an unknown entity makes the whole scene ten times scarier. Even though you have only met this female character for at most 10 seconds, you can still feel for her character as her kind voice asks the male to go swimming with her. After she is pulled under, every ounce of sound disappears, (that underlines the dangerous beauty of the ocean). The scene stays there for a few more seconds, leaving the audience with the sounds of waves crashing, distraught at what they just witnessed.