Research into opening sequence of a Horror film

                                                              Horror opening scene

Directed by Steven Spielberg, "Jaws" was released by Universal Pictures in 1975. The film stars Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and more.  

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to a group of teenagers having a party around a bonfire on the beach. One girl leaves the campfire to go swimming, and a drunken boy chases after her, but is ultimately too drunk and lies at the shore as the girl swims out to sea. The girl is pulled into the water and begins to scream. We assume that the rest of the film will follow the discovery of the girl's death and the impact that this shark has on the other people who swim in the sea, unaware of the danger.

The film begins with an eerie non-diegetic soundtrack that sets a foreboding tone. The opening establishes the film as a horror by following various conventions of the genre. Firstly, the lack of lighting makes the dark setting and the first victim is a young blonde woman, typical of horror films. Additionally, although the scene starts with a group of people the beach appears  desolate and isolated. The young woman leaves the gathering and swims into the dark waters making the audience feel fearful for the young girl. We are introduced to a gathering of young people. They smoke and drink around a campfire which indicates that they are care-free and blissfully unaware of the dark turn that the night is about to take. We are also introduced to a young woman called Chrissie who catches the eye of one of the young man in the group. The young woman appears free-spirited due to her spontaneous idea to go out to sea. The young man's unstable running and diegetic dialogue in which he states: "What's your name again?" suggest that he is foolish as he decides to follow her despite clearly being drunk. 

The scene opens with a group of young people gathered round a campfire drinking, smoking and kissing, indicating that they are relaxed and here to enjoy themselves. There is scant light available as the only source of light is the campfire. This sets a slightly eerie atmosphere. In addition, the diegetic sound effect of harmonicas, guitar and chatter add to the happy and care-free atmosphere. A tracking shot is used to capture the movement in the scene before focussing in one one individual who sits turned away from the group, letting us know he will be important to the narrative. 

In the next key moment, we see the young man follow the young woman as she runs off for the sea. We can now only see the character's silhouettes and the man's drunken state as well as their isolation from the group sets a cautionary tone. A wide angle shot is used to show how small the figures are in amongst the vast beach.

The man struggles to get undressed so he can join Chrissie in the water leaving her swimming out to sea in the complete darkness. It is at this moment that a parallel non-diegetic soundtrack with a sinister tone plays. A low angle shot is used which creates the impression that something lies beneath the waters and the shots are long and drawn-out creating suspense. Suddenly, Chrissie is pulled from the water, confirming the audience's suspicions. She treads the water desperately and through her diegetic dialogue we can hear her screaming, creating a sense of panic. She puts up a fight but is pulled under the water for a final time. These shots are juxtaposed with the next shot where we see the young man lying on the beach blissfully unaware of the horrors that have just occurred. 

I believe this is a successful opening as it establishes the setting immediately and hints at the narrative in only a matter of minutes. Although we are never told that there is a shark, the filmmaker makes skilful use of camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound so that by the end of the scene the audience is aware that there is a shark swimming in the dark waters.