20 Things You Somehow Missed In Jaws
5. Some Footage Was Of A Real Great White Shark Attack
Speaking of real life sharks being used, the hunted one on the docks wasn't the only instance. When Hooper scuba dives into the ‘shark-proof’ cage, he aims to inject the beast with poison, using a harpoon syringe. The plans backfires as Bruce effortlessly tears apart the cage almost kills him. It’s a moment which leaves the audience sweating with fear which is why it becomes even scarier when you find out parts of that film was real footage of a shark attack.
Ron and Valerie Taylor, as well as shark expert Rodney Fox, are responsible for capturing this scene. In order to make the real great white match up in size to the mechanic one, the cage was smaller and the figure they used inside was a little person to make it look as large as possible by comparison. The final result was so good, they changed the script to reflect the damaged equipment and the near-death of Hooper.