Yes, there was a falling star–when the three shark hunters are inside the cabin at night, shooting the breeze, and Mr. Great White is flossing his teeth.
I’ve seen probably half a dozen films that use this cheesy visual gimmick, as it is supposed to signify impending doom, though some folks sometimes associate it with good luck.
Another such visual omen was used in Robert Redford’s, “The Natural,” when a train horn blows and it’s supposed to signify impending bad fortune. (FYI, Some people actually used to believe that hearing a train’s horn at night presaged something adverse happening soon.)
Yes, I knew it was called Bruce. Notice I never referred to the shark by the name “Jaws”, just the film itself. Bruce was Steven Spielberg’s attorney at the time.
I never got a call-back from Amblin’. Damned Californians. Too laid back, I say- too laid back.
Yeah, and they let the sick bastard out on leaves too !! No, Astro, I meant no tongue in cheek or sick joke by that remark. Being a professional camera operator/Steadicam Operator, I get to say that kind of a thing in a very different context. Her work is impeccable and I happen to like her style. I’d also love to shoot for Roman Polanski, The Cohen brothers and Tim Roth. Ms. Foster’s name just popped up first.
The Superstation ran Jaws again Sunday morning. I was able to see the sequence in question again. It wasn’t how I remembered it. There were no stars visible at all; the scene was at night, but so well-lit, it was either during a full moon or it was shot “day for night.” I bet Cartooniverse can verify what this term means: It was actually shot during the day, but the film was deliberately under-exposed to simulate a full-moon night. Either way, there is no freakin’ way those falling stars* were real. Setting the exposure for either the light of a full moon or for “day for night” shooting means a falling star could not have been photographed. Besides, it’s difficult to see falling stars during a full moon with the naked eye, let alone photograph them; the moonlight drowns them out and causes your pupils to contract too much.
Oh, and there were TWO falling stars. After Quint tries shooting the shark with a rifle, the film cuts to Brody getting his service revolver out of his duffle bag. As he does this, a falling star crosses the screen from upper right to lower left. Very pretty. And way too bright to have been shot live by a motion-picture camera running at 24 fps. It’s an optical effect.
After this scene, the boat is shown in a medium shot and, in the upper left quarter of the screen, another falling star appears from behind some faintly-visible clouds. The water in the foreground is dappled by either sunlight or moonlight. This reflected light is properly exposed, but that would mean the second falling star is also an optical effect.
Cartooniverse: Do they still shoot “day for night” any more? Or do the newer film stocks make this unnecessary?
According to The Making of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ documentary, the shooting star that appears during the night scene where Brody loads his revolver was real, not an optical effect.
Welcome to the dope. This thread is over 11 years old ( a Zombie) so I think that the other participants may not respond to your message.
It’s interesting to note that this movie was filmed before digital optics circuits had the quality that they do today. I would expect the improved low lighting camera work that is available today would provide better opportunities for catching shooting stars than it did in earlier movies.
I could have sworn I participated in this thread. Damn. Shrapnel.
Anyway, there’s actually ***two ***meteorite scenes, one right after another. Right after the first, the one that shoots behind Roy Scheider when he’s loading his revolver, there’s a long shot of the Orca in a calm sea at night (Quint is singing) and another meteorite can be seen streaking by, although for whatever reasons this one has more of an odd, strobing effect to it. I don’t think it was added in post, I think it looks that way due to the lighting conditions and the camera’s frame rate. I don’t think they could have been the same meteorite caught by two different cameras at the same time because there was only one Orca and the long shot couldn’t have been done simultaneously with the semi-close-up.
I never saw it in the theater, but when it premiered on HBO around 1980 or so I probably watched it more than a dozen & a half times! I caught it immediately, as they’re both pretty obvious. Here’s the two sequences just shot live in front of a TV screen and you can see them both. The YouTube nutballs seem to like to consider them UFOs! :rolleyes:
( You’re right, my apologies… )