Sharks and the Media A shark fin cuts through the water as it approaches a lone boat out in the middle of the ocean, music ominously grows in intensity as it draws nearer. Suddenly there are flashes of teeth, high pitched screams, and the water around what’s left of the boat is cherry red with blood. This is a horror scenario, a spine chilling moment in film that most people hope to never see in real life. Luckily for them they never will encounter such a thing, because the images that are shown in films portraying shark attacks are not even close to accurate. These horrifying images of blood and destruction are an effect of the carefully cultivated image of sharks that media outlets and Hollywood have spent years crafting. This misrepresentation …show more content…
The image of sharks as predators has been around for years, but the image of them as relentless killers began after the release of Jaws in 1975. This movie was so successful that it is considered the first summer blockbuster. Unlike horror movies with a human antagonist, Jaws presented a new type of villain. Sharks have no humanity so there is nothing redeeming about them. Their presentation in the movie was created thorough viewers past knowledge of sharks and remarks made in the movie. One of these remarks comes from Matt Hooper, who plays an oceanographer in the film, “what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat” (Spielberg). Although this remark is technically true its presentation and context in the movie leaves viewers to suspect that that all sharks do is eat, and that their preferred prey is …show more content…
The main issue of Jaws was the completely erroneous rogue shark theory that the movie was based on. This theory according to the police chief in the film is that “"[the shark] keeps swimmin' around in a place where the feeding is good until the food supply is gone, right?" (Spielberg) This was the concept that terrified viewers; that a shark that attacked one human would go looking for more. This theory had stemmed from the 1916 New Jersey attacks, but the haunting visual, that Jaws so graciously provided, of a shark going after men, women, and children was horrifying. This image was forever branded into viewers minds and became the first thing that many people think of when they picture sharks. Media outlets soon discovered how lucrative this visual was and increased their coverage on sharks. According to Beryl Francis in her Journal Before and After Jaws: Changing Representations of Shark Attacks, “Reference to [ Jaws] and use of highly descriptive language, such as ‘man-eater’, ‘monster of the deep’, ‘predator’, … has continued to describe shark incidents regardless of the severity of the encounter”(Francis 56). Since the release of Jaws newspapers in particular have used this type of ‘Jaws’ labeling and language to provide a visual to their readers and attract attention. This has become a
Sharks have also been subjected to medical research, games and competitions, jewellery, souvenirs and cosmetics. We need to take into consideration that sharks play a vital role in the natural world that we live in. it is imperative that we look after these majestic creatures and ensure they remain protected. We need to be aware of the dangers of sharks, swim in protected areas where there are shark nets, and do not swim after dark in the sea (especially not alone) as the sea is the sharks home. Humans should also be wearing wet suits as protection in the ocean. The sea is where they live, they swim freely and they eat – they do not particularly target humans but rather prey on food that is available to them in their habitat.
The film Sharkwater is a documentary directed and produced by Rob Stewart. Rob is an underwater photographer and a biologist that has a fascination with sharks, and their behavioral aspects. His way of studying these creatures he is able to learn about life and how to survive on this earth. This film showed the characteristics of reflexive documentary, this is because of the attention drawn into the sharks, their behaviors, and how we are affecting them. A statement that really stuck the documentary is people are taught their whole entire lives that sharks are dangerous but when you finally see it underwater your whole life can change in a flash. Rob made a very valid point as well, which is believed to be his thesis statement.
There is a myriad of other films, some produced by groups like PETA and ASPCA, where the intent is solely to inspire sympathy by parading superfluous images of abused animals in front of the viewer. Blackfish could have taken that route, it certainly would have been simple for the film-makers; however, they opted for a sensible and logical fact-based structure to support their message. Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the film’s director, succeeded in providing viewers like myself -- viewers who value facts over feelings, an excellent and well-documented look at the physical and mental treatment of these captured animals. The filmmakers provided enough evidence to support their claims which asked the viewer to question the killer whale’s aggressive behavior when in captivity and then allowed the viewer the make their own judgments based on the facts being
The title Jaws, is of course an innuendo referring to the shark. The opening credits start off by putting you deep in the treacherous waters of Amity moving along with an object that you assume is the shark but don’t officially know because of the camera position. The camera puts you in the depths of the water with the shark giving the viewer an extra edge when they witness a character jump into the water ignorantly. The fact that we know something that the character obviously doesn’t creates an uncanny feeling of wanting to warn or yell at your television. This type of cinematography is what enhances our viewing experience in a way that a book cannot do as effectively. On the contrary the books gives our main character, Chief Brody, a since of insecurity and worry while in the movie there isn’t enough time for us to sit and go into everyone’s background. Being able to cover more information and still keep viewer/readers attentive is something that is much more actively represented by a book. The most important sequences in the book sta...
Based on Peter Benchley's bestselling novel, 'Jaws' centers around the fictional North Atlantic resort island of Amity, which finds itself terrorized by an enormous great white shark. Our hero is Martin Brody, a New York cop who took the job as Chief of the Amity PD to get his family out of the city and then finds himself in the midst of an unprecedented crisis none of his prior experience has prepared him for. The remains of young Christine Watkins are found on the beach, the apparent victim of a shark attack(Chrissie Watkins' death scene at the opening of the movie is one of the most legendary in the history of film). Chief Brody wants to close the beaches, but is refused permission
This image is what a majority of people believe to be the shark. They believe it to be the bloodthirsty sea monster that appears in countless works of literature and films, but science says otherwise. The classic picture painted by the minds of sailors returning from years at sea come from imagination and sharks’ violent methods of hunting and mating. Sharks fear humans as much as humans fear sharks, and most sharks, particularly the “man-eating” great whites, only bite humans because they mistake surfers for seals. In earlier times, the ocean was a source of mystery and adventur...
When the film Jaws (Steven Spielberg 1975) came out, it was one of the most frightening movies at that time. The attack showing the little boy being ripped apart by a shark that occurs during the scene on the beach shows how devastating the shark can be as well as how helpless officer Brody and the audience feels during the attack. In the famous “beach scene,” Spielberg makes the audience identify with a helpless figure caught in a violent frenzied moment through the use of framing, color, and camera direction. In this scene, the shark is not actually seen; its attack is filmed in a point of view shot which does not allow the audience to look away and forces them to stay with the perspective of the shark. This builds tension and also makes
20 year- old Madison Stewart, many know her as shark girl, is an underwater filmmaker and a dive master. The young Aussie grew up living on a yacht from just two years old, she has spent nearly every day of her life in the water. When she first started snorkeling, one thing grabbed her eye and that was seeing sharks in the wild, She instantly feel in love with the animal and decided to have a future being around sharks every day of her life. When she was young she didn’t once think that she would have to fight for sharks and their lives. When she returned to the Great Barrier Reef at the age on 14 years old, she had expectation’s such as seeing the same beautiful reefs and the same sharks, but what she saw and discovered changed her life forever.
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and his other film Jurassic Park (1993) both contain a major theme of what makes a successful hero in society. In Jaws, police chief Martin Brody must successfully eliminate the threat of a Great White Shark from attacking Amity Island. In Jurassic Park, billionaire John Hammond creates a theme park where cloned dinosaurs come alive, hoping that his ideal resort becomes a major success. Through the use of film style elements, such as editing and mise-en scene, Spielberg develops Brody’s character as a person who must learn from his past mistakes in order to become a successful hero while Spielberg creates Hammond’s character as a man who only sees himself as a hero of science and technology without realizing his attempted control over nature is what leads him to his ultimate failure.
Attention Gainer: For the attention gainer, I plan on showing the audience a two minute and thirty second video in order to display the tragic events that are happening around the world regarding shark killings. My attention gainer will enable the audience to become aware of the situation as well as invoke a serious and potentially sad mood in the classrooms, before I begin to touch on the terrible situation we have
A Film Review on Jaws [IMAGE]"Jaws (Style A)" Movie PosterBased on the novel by Peter Benchley, the film sees New York cop, Martin Brody (played by Schneider is investigating a series of deaths that bear all the blame. evidence of a shark attack. This was originally rated as a PG but when? re-released in a 12. A great opening scene showing Chrissy ‘the stereotypical blonde’. being devoured by the unknown killer, puzzles most reviewers in the question.
Currently, live whale performances have become well liked for tourists to visit. When they are there, they only see what they want to see and do not care or want to know all about the complications the whales go through just to make people smile. The documentary “Blackfish” exposes the truth about the whales, their habits, and why they act the manner they do when in captivity. The inhumane treatment of whales in captivity causes negative effects on the animals which, in turn, affects the humans who care for them.
In 2015 only 59 shark attacks have occurred around the world compared to the millions of sharks killed by humans every year. Due to these accidental shark attacks people tend to think that sharks, especially Great Whites are evil creatures with malice intentions when attacks do occur; but, on the contrary that is wrong. Sharks are not the only beautiful and unique creatures in the ocean, they also play a vital role in our ecosystem; however, due to human interference they might not be around much longer, through awareness sharks can be protected from endangerment.
Thesis: Sharks should be conserved because they are an important part of the ocean, attacks are often incidental, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.
Hundreds of people, who get in the ocean every year, are almost none that encounter sharks. Even if you're lucky enough to see a shark big enough to bite you, you're much likely to die from a heart attack than getting bit by one. Shark attacks are mistakes and the idea of a shark off every beach waiting for people to come in the water is completely untrue. I will inform you on the background knowledge of sharks and the reasons why humans should not be afraid only aware.