Panic in AmityFollowing the death of Alex Kintner, Amity Island is in panic trying to figure out what to do next. Close the beaches? Kill the shark? Both? What's good for the safety of the vacationers could be bad for the economy of the island. And Chief Brody is stuck in the middle. Act Two is split into two parts. The rise and fall (some say) or "into and out-of the lion's den." Here in part one (of Act Two) the film is all about building tension, raising the stakes and making the danger more personal for our hero, pushing him into the direction of fear and conflict. For Brody, that means going into the water. But not so fast. First we have to meet our anti-hero, Quint, tangle with our first baddie, Mayor Vaughn, and befriend our foil, Hooper.As you can see by the run-time, this episode is a doozy. But I wanted to give every scene it's due as this film depends on all of its parts, now matter the size, to constantly squeeze the tension and expand the exposition. (Perhaps in the future I'll find a better way to split up act two, but for now, enjoy the half-marathon!) Some themes we touch on: how characters are introduced, montages, music (and lack-of), and some comparisons to the American classic novel Moby Dick.

From Chrissie to Alex. Join us as we explore the first Act of Steven Spielberg's classic horror/suspense film Jaws (1975).Watch the movie first, familiarize yourself with the scenes and then let me be your eyes as we breakdown all the sights and sounds of the film. Today we are looking at progressive vs regressive movements by actors and camera. We study the transitions from scene to scene and the written and visual exposition cues. Of course we talk about the music (or lack there of), and Spielberg's famous camera and how it moves through the scenes, building tension.