Was a real shark used in Jaws?

Spielberg said one of Jaws' producers proposed that they film real sharks for underwater shots that didn't require close-ups. Why? They needed to make the scene with Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) in the cage look legit, and they hired professional shark photographers to capture images.
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Was the shark in Jaws fake?

Spielberg used three fake sharks while filming Jaws. Two were intentionally half-completed: a right-side shark that had a left-side that exposed the inner machinery that powered it, a left-side shark that did the same thing.
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Did Jaws use real shark footage?

Valerie Taylor played her role in scaring movie audiences in the 1975 film "Jaws." More than four decades ago, the now-legendary diver, filmmaker and conservationist worked with her husband Ron Taylor to capture real underwater shark footage for Universal Studios and a young director named Steven Spielberg.
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What was the shark in Jaws made of?

Bruce, the fiberglass shark made from the “Jaws” mold, is ready for his close-up.
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How big was the fake shark in Jaws?

Unseen behind-the-scenes photos from filming of Jaws reveal how Steven Spielberg used a 25ft wooden mechanical shark to make his 1975 classic movie.
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The Time the Animatronic Shark Nearly Ruined Jaws | cosmavoid



How big was Bruce the shark?

The 1,208 pound, 25-foot-long, 45-year-old shark, famous for being difficult to work with on the set of Steven Spielberg's classic thriller, on Friday was hoisted up in the air above the main escalator of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles where he will greet guests for the foreseeable future.
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Did anyone get hurt filming Jaws?

The Orca sinks

No, not “Orca,” the 1977 “Jaws” ripoff starring Richard Harris and Charlotte Rampling. I'm talking about the Orca, the boat used by Quint, Brody and Hooper to track and kill the shark that sinks in the script and also sank in real life with cast and crew on board thanks to an accident during filming.
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How did they get the real shark footage in Jaws?

"The shark in the movie was supposed to be 25 feet long, and the sharks on the reef were closer to 15 or 16 feet long. So to keep the appearance right, we went out on a very small boat, built a smaller shark-proof cage, and hired a very short actor.
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Who filmed the sharks for Jaws?

Universal Studios enlisted Valerie Taylor, 85, and her late husband Ron Taylor to capture real underwater footage of a shark attacking a diver cage for a then-unknown Hollywood director named Steven Spielberg.
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Why is the shark in Jaws so big?

Bruce's great size may be due to his longevity; as real Great Whites are capable of living 72+ years, it is likely that Bruce may be of advanced age, which might explain its size. In the film, Bruce's attack on Alex Kintner was supposed to be more brutal, with the shark actually rising from the water to attack the boy.
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Was there a meteor shower during the filming of Jaws?

The shooting stars in Jaws aren't the only streaking lights to cameo in a Spielberg film. Spielberg's dad, Arnold Spielberg, woke the future film director when he was a child and took him to a hill that was packed with people looking skyward, where they witnessed a spectacular meteor shower.
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Did they use the same mechanical shark in Jaws 2?

The real shark footage used in the film is actually just left over footage that was filmed for and used in the first movie. The rest of it was, as we all know, a mechanical shark, a new one created for the sequel; (not Bruce like in the first movie).
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Was the shark in Jaws a Megalodon?

A new study from the University of Bristol and Swansea University has calculated the total body size of the Otodus megalodon - the distant ancestor of the great white shark depicted in hit blockbuster, Jaws, in 1975.
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What beach was Jaws filmed on?

Though the film takes place in the fictional town of Amity Island in New York, it was actually filmed throughout Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
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Did the cast of Jaws get along?

Shaw and Dreyfuss hated each other

Much like the characters they played, actors Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss did not get along during much of the shooting of Jaws. In fact, Shaw often taunted Dreyfuss in between takes.
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How did they get the barrels to go underwater in Jaws?

You boil the jaws, and you'll end up with teeth and a cartilaginous goo." 2. Quint puts three harpoons attached to barrels into the shark, and the shark drags the barrels underwater.
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How old was the shark in Jaws?

Bruce (Jaws) - 25 feet in length and weighs in at 3 tons. Hooper claimed it to be a 20 footer. Apparently 12 years old, Bruce is the first shark to terrorize the citizens of Amity Island.
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Who died while filming Jaws?

Late actor Roy Scheider, who died from multiple myeloma at 75, is remembered for one of the greatest movie lines of all time from 1975 thriller Jaws.
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Was Jaws filmed in a swimming pool?

So Spielberg recruited a small crew and reshot the scene in film editor Verna Fields' backyard swimming pool in Encino, California. To make the clear, chlorinated water match the murkier look of the ocean, crew members poured a gallon of milk into the pool.
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Why do they shoot barrels at the shark in Jaws?

Since the shark didn't work most of the time, Steven Spielberg had the idea to take five barrels from the stock, paint them yellow and then stress them to look used. These would then be used to show the presence of the shark when the actual shark wasn't available.
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Is Jaws a true story?

No. Jaws is not a true story. It is based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The Jaws author had a lifelong fascination with sharks and said that he came up with the concept for the novel after reading about a great white shark that had been caught by fisherman Frank Mundus in 1964 (pictured below).
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Is Deep Blue still alive?

This massive great white shark is said to be around 50 years old. Researchers say that she will continue to grow in size over time, though at a much slower pace than before. As with most female great whites and great white sharks in general, Deep Blue has an estimated life expectancy of around 70 years.
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Why did they call Jaws Bruce?

Answer: It was named after Steven Spielberg's accountant or perhaps lawyer. Whilst on location filming, they had terrible problems with the shark. It didn't do what it was supposed to do. The production accountant whose name was Bruce kept saying to Steven Spielberg you can't spend any more money.
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Are megalodon still alive?

Extinction of a mega shark

We know that megalodon had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene (2.6 million years ago), when the planet entered a phase of global cooling. Precisely when the last megalodon died is not known, but new evidence suggests that it was at least 3.6 million years ago.
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Is there a real Amity Island?

Amity Island is a fictional island located off the coast of New England, and is the main setting of the Jaws franchise. The island is known for its clean air, beautiful beaches, and many of its local fishermen. The island is also infamous for its series of horrifying and fatal shark attacks.
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