We're gonna need a bigger BEAT SHEET -- JAWS BS2

JAWS is in my top 5 of all time. I watch it once a year. It holds up. Lots of my favorites don't 100% hold up(despite maintaining their greatness!) -- EMPIRE STRIKES BACK has a little bit of goofiness, old JAMES BOND flicks are downright boring, even RAIDERS feels a little slow at times. Not JAWS. It's one of the most startlingly fast-paced movies I've ever seen. The biggest lesson I got this time, besides impeccable structure, is that the usual exposition 'slowdown' scenes or b-story stuff are some of the most memorably scripted moments in the movie. The scar scene. The cute business where Brodie's son imitates him at the dinner table. The USS Indianapolis story.

In addition, the movie really kicks off with a catalyst at the opening(the protagonist doesn't find it for a few minutes but literally he is thrown into the action/story in the first scene he appears and we meet everyone and setup the town with the momentum of that first attack pushing us along).


TITLE: JAWS


BLAKE GENRE: MONSTER IN THE HOUSE:

MONSTER--Bruce.
HALF-MAN -- Quint
HOUSE -- Amity Island
SIN -- Not closing the beaches down when they should have.



OPENING IMAGE:
A beach campfire at magic hour, kids drinking and having some summer fun. A young girl rushes out to the beach with a drunken dude chasing her. He passes out. She goes for an R-rated swim.

She's attacked by a shark. This movie will evoke precious memories of  summer beach getaways while forever putting the fear of God into future Body-Surfing endeavors.

THEME STATED:
"You'll never be an islander." A woman on the beach tells Brodie's wife. Brodie and family are constantly reminded they're outsiders.

I think 'Territoriality' is the theme. The town leaders are focused on their interpretation of 'what is best for the island' despite what is 'best' and least risky. Brody likewise does what is best for his career by not following his instincts. And the shark is the pure embodiment of doing only what is best for its own interests by killing to protect what it deems its territory.


Moral Premise: 
 ACTIONS FOCUSED ON SELF-INTERESTS THAT PUT PEOPLE AT RISK lead to death and blame; but SELFLESS ACTS FOCUSED ON DOING WHAT'S BEST FOR OTHERS lead to victory and safety.

Brody ultimately changes, ignoring his own safety/self-interest, forces the town leader to hire Quint, and even ignores his own fears and puts himself at risk to join the hunt.

SETUP:
A match-cut to Brodie -- the new Sheriff in town-- staring out over the ocean that he protects(Territoriality?). In less than two minutes time, we learn everything we need to know -- he's from New York not Boston/Amity, he's scared to get into water, he has a wife and kids he's so protective of, he won't even let them on the swingset he hasn't had time to fix.

He gets a call -- missing person on the beach. Possible drowning. He's so new to the beach-town he doesn't even know what he's supposed to do -- 'lookout for floaters?'

SIDE-NOTE: Some of the details of this scene are amazingly smart and move the film along with a rapid efficiency -- from little things like having him answer the wrong phone in the house (again to show he's just moved in), to him carrying the clothes of the deadgirl...a little fact most screenplays/films would hit you over the head with.
CATALYST:
On the beach, he finds the gruesome sand-crab ridden remains of the girl from our opening. He's quickly back at the office filling out a report where the coroner calls in the cause of death -- SHARK ATTACK.

DEBATE: Brodie...to close the beach or not?

Brodie scrambles to get signs made to close down the beach(they've never closed the beach before, so they need to make signs). Finds out boyscouts are swimming and rushes to the pier to keep a watchful eye.

The TOWN BUREAUCRATS lead by LARRY stop him -- "You don't have authority to close the beach. This is a summer town. You're not one of us."

Brodie, doesn't put up a fight. He's a new guy, in a new town. While his heart says close the beach, he doesn't want to be an asshole about it.

This is the SIN. Putting commerce ahead of common sense is what causes everything to go from a single incident to a Shark Spree Attack.

Later on the beach, Brodie watches nervously as people enjoy a day on the beach. Sandcastles. Kids on rafts. Family fun. After a few red-herrings, a kid on a raft is actually attacked and killed. The raft washes up, as the poor mother is left to realize her young son is dead.

BREAK INTO ACT 2:
The mother offers a $3000 reward, as the town council meets and debates what to do. Brodie announces that the beach is going to close...but that darned politician Larry overrules him -- 'the beaches will be closed...for 24 hours'. Brodie lets it go again, despite knowing it's crazy-dangerous.
Quint introduces himself and says he'll bring the shark in for $10,000.

Larry says they'll 'take it under advisement.

B-STORY:
At home Brodie studies sharks and insists his own family be 'safer' than the town he governs. Making his son get out of the water with his new boat.  Brodie's family story and scenes with his wife, reflect his moral dilemma in the story.

FUN & GAMES:
The town is a circus of shark hunters. Two fisherman almost lose their lives fishing for Bruce. At the pier, it's all beer, harpoons, and dynamite. Dreyfuss -- the oceanographer -- shows up to offer his services. (fashionably late for a major character in a Hollywood script, but I don't detect any problem with it).

Dreyfuess reviews the remains of the first victim and confirms what we already know -- it was definitely a shark attack. He scolds Brodie a bit for allowing 'boat accident' on the report.

Meanwhile, hunters pull in an impressive Tiger Shark. The people at the pier are ecstatic. Taking pictures, cheering them. But Dreyfeuss knows its not the shark and wants to cut it open. Good old Larry refuses. He's liking the publicity and counting that fourth of july umbrella rental money.

Dressed in black, the mother of the dead raft rider arrives. Walks up to Brodie. Slaps his face. She knows he could have closed the beach and saved her son.

This is Brodie's Moment of Grace. The moment he stops the old way of following orders he knows are wrong and starts the new way of following his gut for what he knows what's right in attempt to become a true 'protector' of the island.

Dreyfuss shows up at a brooding Brodie's house for dinner, brings a bottle of wine. Talks about how the shark is 'territorial' and won't stop until there's no people left to feast on. The 'new Brodie' tries the 'new way' ignores Larry's orders and agrees to autopsy the shark. They cut it open and prove it's definitely not the shark that killed the boy. But needing more proof,  and further showing he's willing to take risks to protect the town, Brodie joins Dreyfuess and they set out to find the 'night feeding' shark(some more thematic talk about 'here, one man can make a difference'). They discover a ghost boat. Dreyfuss dives below, and finds a body. The shark is still at large!

MIDPOINT:
The discovery of the still active shark is a false victory because despite the evidence the Mayor outright refuses to shut down the beaches for Fourth of July --the BIGGEST BEACH DAY OF THE YEAR.

BAD GUYS CLOSE IN:
The beaches are open! Packed. Brodie and Dreyfuss are working hard to keep the water safe, bringing in spotters and guys with guns in the boats and helicopters.

People are scared to go in the water, but Larry encourages them to get in. Now, we have a lot of people in thw water. Brodie encourages is his son to use the pond not the ocean.

A kid with a fin causes a stampede and almost gets shot! As Brodie calms the situation -- someone notices -- the shark is headed for the pond!

Brodie races to the pond, a man in a kayak is taken out. Then the shark goes for Brodie's son and his friends.

ALL IS LOST:
Brodie's son barely escapes -- and looks dead on the beach...but he's just in shock...but it's a close brush with death. (whiff of death)

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL:
At the hospital, Brodie's son is staying overnight. Brodie's wife wants to go back to New York. Even Larry is upset. Brodie isn't taking no for an answer anymore. He forces Larry to sign the 'permission' to pay Quint and close the beaches. Now, it's Brodie telling Larry what's in the 'best interest of the town'.

BREAK INTO ACT 3:
Quint paid, the mission is ready. Brodie's wife gives him a sad goodbye and runs off. Brodie has fully transformed -- gone from a wussy pushover to a guy who is willing to risk his life and conquer his phobia. They set out to catch the shark.


FINALE:
NOTE: The finale of Jaws is pretty long for a finale, making it disproportionate to the usual 1 to 2 to 1 act ratio...if you were just going by page count, you might try to jam these moments into act 2. But it's very clearly a 'new world' act break. And another reason I'm dubious of looking at page count for BS2 analysis.

This script falls into Blake's FIVE POINT FINALE. I don't think ALL scripts fall into it, but Jaws seems to:


GATHERING THE TEAM -- Out in the water, they prepare for battle give the audience a feel for Quint and Dreyfuss's equipment.

STORM THE CASTLE -- An initial encounter with the shark, they harpoon it, attach a barrel, hoping to draw it to the surface. After some showing of scars and talking about the USS Indianapolis and singing, the shark resurfaces. The attack is action-packed, as they attach some more barrels to the big-fish.

HIGH TOWER SURPRISE -- The shark attacks. Now it's chasing them. They head for the shore hoping to take it into shallow water. But the boat dies. Now they're stranded!

DIG DEEP DOWN-- Knowing they're in mortal danger, they go with Dreyfuss's plan, it doesn't work. The Cage is presumably severed. The ship is tipped. Quint is eaten.

EXECUTION OF NEW PLAN -- Brodie battles the shark. Gets a compressed air tank in its mouth. Shoots it. Kaboom! The shark blows up.

Dreyfuss shows up(in what I believe to be the only misstep of an otherwise flawless flick) -- hooray! He's alive.

CLOSING IMAGE:
Dreyfuss and Brodie paddle back to shore...we get a shot of the same beach the girl in the opening ran across. It's a nostalgic shot, holding all the promise of summer.

Enjoy the beach!