'Jaws': Behind the Scenes (10 Photos)

For

Jaws

(1975), Steven Spielberg took his crew out onto the open ocean—a move that threw the shooting schedule into complete chaos. Boats drifted off course, changing weather ruined the lighting, and the mechanical shark couldn't handle the saltwater. Here is the full story.





Amity Island was shot on location at Martha's Vineyard. The site was chosen specifically for its depth and tides, which were crucial for anchoring the underwater platform used to operate the shark.



The mechanical shark was nicknamed "Bruce." Three models were built for the film: two were designed to be shot from specific angles—leaving their internal machinery exposed on the opposite side—while the third was towed behind a boat.





Saltwater constantly corroded the metal components. At one point, Bruce struck his own submerged platform during a dive, and repairing his snout set production back a full week.



On a swaying boat, handheld camera work often proved easier for getting a steady shot. Camera operator Michael Chapman used a Panaflex weighing around 35 pounds. In an interview with

American Cinematographer

, he praised its balance, noting that despite its weight, it allowed him to leap from boat to boat without stopping the shoot.



To get the lens right down at the water's surface, the camera was sealed inside a waterproof housing with a glass front. Waves could wash right over the glass while keeping the equipment dry. For these water-level shots, cinematographer Bill Butler used a custom raft with adjustable pontoons to control its height.



Butler later recalled how much he enjoyed having to improvise on the fly. Coming from a documentary background, he appreciated Spielberg's willingness to discover the right shot directly on set.



The

Orca

had a stunt double of its own. This second boat was built specifically to be wrecked and submerged: water was flooded into barrels inside the hull and later purged with compressed air to bring it back to the surface.



Toward the end of one shooting day, the mechanical shark slammed into the stern, causing the stunt boat to take on far too much water. It began sinking and listing heavily, sending the camera—and the freshly exposed film inside it—straight underwater.



Butler immediately ordered the film magazine rushed to shore submerged in a bucket of seawater. The saltwater was then swapped for fresh water, and the footage was flown to a lab in New York that same night. By morning, the word came back: the footage was saved. That exact take made it into the final cut.