Set on the fictional Amity Island, Jaws was primarily filmed in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Instead of shooting in a water tank, the main location was the open Atlantic Ocean. Released in 1975, this classic suspenseful thriller has aged like fine wine.
While the first half of Jaws sets up our characters and Amity Island, much of the last half of the movie takes place in the Atlantic Ocean on board Quint's small ship, The Orca. These ocean scenes were filmed in an area between Oaks Bluff and East Chop. Two ocean scenes, however, were not filmed in Martha's Vineyard.
Its stand-in, Martha's Vineyard (which is, yes, an island), was chosen for its East Coast locale, isolated feeling, and, perhaps most importantly, its wide, shallow beaches.
Some scenes were also filmed in California, off the coast as well as at Universal Studios, and even at one of the film's executive's Los Angeles swimming pool. A few ocean-set scenes were also filmed in South Australia.
The work of up-and-coming director Steven Spielberg, dealing with pneumatically-powered prop sharks and seasick actors, came to be seen as the first-ever summer blockbuster. Though the film takes place in the fictional town of Amity Island in New York, it was actually filmed throughout Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
Mysterious Creatures Captured on Camera & Seen in Real Life.
Was any of Jaws filmed in Florida?
The filmmakers chose the location because they wanted an island that could conjure up an eerily empty feel. The popular summer destination lent locations throughout Katama, Harthaven, and Mayhew Lane to the Jaws 2 production. Other outdoor scenes were filmed around the town of Destin, Florida.
In the real world, jumping from the bridge can be extremely dangerous - and sharks have nothing whatsoever to do with it. Tragically, in August 2022, two brothers, visiting the area from Jamaica, hit the headlines.
The scene where the decapitated head pops up and scares Matt was filmed in a pool in film editor Verna Fields' backyard. Fields had a home in Encino, California, with a pool in her backyard. Spielberg filled the pool with milk to make it look more like the ocean and filmed the scene there.
As it turns out, the real-life shark footage used for the scene was the result of a similarly frightening accident—one that, as described by diver and shark documentarian Valerie Taylor, could've killed the actor standing in for Dreyfuss.
How did an on-set in-joke become one of the most iconic lines in cinema history? “You're gonna need a bigger boat,” says awestruck Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), the words half-mumbled through the cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Jaws: The Revenge was shot on location in New England and in the Bahamas, and completed on the Universal lot. As with the first two films, Martha's Vineyard was the location of the fictional Amity Island for the opening scenes.
However, it is still clearly the house location where the Brody family lived (apart from Mrs Brody's cup, which she never got back), and still sees a steady stream of JAWS fans make the pilgrimage to see if the kids are in the yahd, not too fah from the cah.
Not all the shark footage was shot with Bruce, though. Before principal photography kicked off on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, a second unit team went to Australia to shoot B-roll footage of a real Great White Shark. These shots would be used in the scene where Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) dives in a shark cage.
He said (via Vanity Fair): A problem we had was when a speedboat pulling the Orca went too fast and pulled out the planking from the haul—water rushed in, and the boat sank in about two minutes. I remember vividly the moment where the actors were yelling, 'Send boats, get us out, send boats!'
Though it premiered back in 1975, Jaws has instilled multiple generations with galeophobia (the irrational fear of sharks), leaving viewers with one simple question that they hope will ease their distress: Jaws is not based on a true story…
There was a scene in the original Jaws that included a dog named Pipit. Although you never see the death of Pipit in Jaws, it is presumed that he was killed by the shark.
There were actually three fake sharks. Two were mounted on an arm like a crane, which ran along submerged steel rails allowing a run of more than 50ft in a straight line. One could be filmed from the left, the other from the right.
It has been claimed that while shooting in the waters of Isla Mujeres, one of the film's stuntmen, Jose Marco, was attacked and killed on camera by a shark that broke through protective netting. This supposed attack was said to captured on film and prompted a photo spread in Life magazine.
It was filmed at SeaWorld Orlando, a marine zoological park ; and Navarre, Florida, a community in the Florida Panhandle near Pensacola. As with the first two films in the series, many people were involved in writing the film.
To see all the top Jaws spots around Martha's Vineyard, book a tour with a local guide. Edgartown Tour Company offers a one-hour walking tour. You'll be taken to locations where classic scenes were filmed while learning insider stories about what went on during production.
It is not technically legal to jump off the bridge but people jump off anyways and it is a very common tourist attraction. Most of its popularity and fame comes from Steven Spielberg's movie Jaws.
It is a popular tourist destination because of its appearance in the 1975 shark film. Jumping off the bridge is illegal, but kids on the island have done so for decades.
