Opening conventions- The opening sequence starts off with the "Universal" ident and then the it then "a Zanack/Brown" production. Then the camera angle is the POV of a shark travelling through the water. The credits are now directly in the middle of the screen and fading out as the shark goes on almost as if the shark is eating up the cast
Narrative Function- There is no narrator in this opening sequence and I think it's better that way as it makes the whole sequence more authentic and the lack of non-diegetic sound makes sure the audience is not taken away from the film. This is key as the suspense needs to built leading up to the shark attack. And hearing a voice over would reduce that impact.
Characters- There are 3 main characters in this sequence. The first two were the boy and girl that run away to the shores from the rest of the group. We know that they are the main characters because the shot stopped moving and focused in on them(the boy especially). The last character is the shark itself and we never get to see it. This is relevant to the genre as many horror films do no show the "villain" clearly and rely on the audience to build their own perception on how scary the villain actually is.
Film Lang- MES, Cinematography, (Light and Sound)- The lighting is quite low key at the start with the use of natural light coming from the campfire. You can also see the use of a key light to amplify the effect of the natural light . Then a filler light is used to soften the harsh shadows the key light creates. The moment where the girl enters the water the sunset is in clear view which implies that something bad is about to happen. Also the whole colour scheme of the sequence changes into dark colours as they run from the campfire the shore. This again show the impending doom as the dark colours bear the connotation of something bad or mysterious.
Film Lang- Movement, framing, Editing and Sound- The camera follows the two of them up until the girl gets into the water. This is very important the following of the couple increases the expectation of something happening to them. There are a lot of underwater shots and shark POV shots which puts the viewer in the eye of the shark. The now famous Jaws soundtrack just increases the suspense as the audience knows the girl is going to get attacked.
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