Comparing the Shower Scene from Psycho with the Boat Scene from Jaws

Comparing the Shower Scene from Psycho with the Boat Scene from Jaws

I have chosen the second question 'compare the famous shower scene

from Psycho with the boat scene from Jaws. How do the directors build

up tension here?' I am going to compare various things such as camera

angles/shots, music, lightning, long and short edits, dramatic irony

and sound.

Jaws is a film about 3 brave men set out to kill a man eating shark

who seems to be unconquerable as it has killed a lot of people in the

past, the attacks he has made look horrifying and the men set out to

kill it look like they have very little chance. They use a small boat

as they hunt for the shark, the boat is small and the shark knows what

it's doing as it attempts to take the boat down, it succeeds, but as

you think there is no chance for the men, one of them kill the shark

unexpectedly.

Psycho is about a man called Norman Baits who has a split personality.

He thinks he is his mother as well as him self. The mother is made out

to be a murderer and doesn't seem to like visitors as Norman won't be

spending much time with her as he has work to do, but she has a way to

sort that out. Norman doesn't know that it is really him killing

people. The mother is actually dead all along, Norman thinks he is her

and keeps her body in the house.

The music in Jaws is strange but very clever for the type of film, you

would expect it to be fast and a bit more suiting the film, but it is

a relaxing type of music. A combination is used - the infamous Jaws

music is quite threatening, but also there is jollier music is used to

lighten the mood - to relax the audience. The technique the dire...

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... from the murderer is over the girl and gives it more effect.

In Jaws the lighting is similar. The boat scene lightning is very

dark, but light is over the men's faces. It feels like they are going

to be attacked from behind by the shark

The reaction I think from the audience in both scenes is that they

will be very scared. I think the audience will be very jumpy as the

shark attacks the boat and the murder is happening in the shower.

The horrors in both films are very different yet are both as scary and

create lots of tension between them. The films have equal effect on

the audiences and give them something to be interested in as they

watch it. The tension created by both films make you want know what is

going to happen but also make you feel scared. I did not like any of

the films and I did not find them scary.