Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific directors working today in Hollywood. The two-time Oscar winner is known for making some of the most influential films of the generation such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Jaws, and the Indiana Jones films. He also crafted acclaimed dramas such as Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.
Spielberg’s Jaws was the first summer blockbuster and was the highest-grossing film of all time until Star Wars. Despite the success, Spielberg reportedly had one regret with the film. The iconic picture of the filmmaker sitting atop the mechanical shark was reportedly staged by the set photographer which led to him vowing to never do one thing on set.
Steven Spielberg’s Famous Picture From Jaws Was Staged
Steven Spielberg created history when he directed the survival horror film Jaws. While it was the first film to be predominantly shot on the ocean, it was also the first Summer blockbuster, earning over $476 million on a $9 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It was the highest-grossing film ever at the time and was surpassed two years later by George Lucas’ Star Wars.
Spielberg’s film famously had a troubled production as he went over budget and the schedules went haywire due to weather conditions and difficulty in handling the mechanical sharks they had built for the movie (via BBC News). One of the most famous on-set photographs from the film was an image of Steven Spielberg sitting atop a shark’s nose.
Steven Spielberg sits atop Bruce, one of three mechanical sharks used during the production of Spielberg's iconic, nerve-wracking JAWS, which first opened on this day in 1975, quickly becoming one of the original summer blockbusters. pic.twitter.com/CRdc6C09uv
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) June 20, 2019
However, the filmmaker reportedly regretted the decision to take that photo as it was not a genuine BTS photograph. He said in an interview with EW,
Now, let me tell you about the picture — that’s a staged, fake picture. Meaning there was no reason to sit on the shark except the photographer said, ‘Get on the shark.’ I was not directing a shot, I wasn’t trying to make a point. I remember that very well. I would never do that today. That’s something else I’ve learned: Don’t let set photographers stage your shots.
Other photos of the filmmaker with the shark have also gone viral such as the one in which he lies between the open mouth of the mechanical shark.
Steven Spielberg Almost Got Fired While Helming Jaws
While Jaws was not his debut, Steven Spielberg became the most sought-after director in Hollywood after the film’s success. Spielberg had only done a few TV films and one other theatrical called The Sugarland Express before he crafted the horror masterpiece. However, all was not smooth sailing for the maverick filmmaker while shooting the Jaws.
The director revealed that due to the constant delays and extended budgets, Spielberg had come very close to being shut down from Universal Pictures. However, he credited his appointment to his mentor Sid Sheinberg, the CEO of Universal Studios. He said to EW,
Sid Sheinberg always blocked it. [Jaws producers] Dick Zanuck and David Brown always told me that the other shoe was about to drop.
They didn’t warn me to threaten me or to intimidate me — they just said, ‘Is there anything you can do with the script, with the schedule, to avert a shutdown?’ And I didn’t have anything to do, because I couldn’t cut the script.
The filmmaker mentioned that he had insisted on shooting on the ocean as a wave tank would not look as real, and hence was responsible for all the weather issues that came with it. He also mentioned that he was being asked to bring down the budget in some way but he was at a point where he could not cut corners and was risking a complete shutdown of the project.
I couldn’t cut the third act out of Jaws! I had to just keep moving forward, and the schedule was dictated by the mechanical shark and by the weather conditions. Every time there was an intention to replace me, Sid stepped in quietly behind the scenes and stopped it.
Sheinberg reportedly discovered the young filmmaker after he made his short film Amblin and even produced some of Spielberg’s most path-breaking works such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park.
Jaws is available to stream on the Starz channel on Apple TV.
