JAWS (1975) - Clapperboard
A clapperboard from Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award®-winning blockbuster Jaws. A comical take on the classic clapperboard style, this particular clapperboard was used throughout the production, including the final reshoot of the scene in which Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) finds the severed head of Ben Gardner (Craig Kingsbury) in the remains of his sunken boat. Unable to acquire studio funding to reshoot the scene, Spielberg famously spent $3,000 of his own money to film the underwater sequence. The board’s scratches and markings can be matched to a well-published behind-the-scenes promotional photograph of Spielberg holding the clapperboard. Marked for use with the production's secondary 'B' camera, the clapperboard is made of wood and features the title Jaws painted across the centre. The board’s conventional sticks have been replaced by a custom-made set in the shape of sharks’ teeth, operated by pulling the top stick vertically. The surnames of producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown are painted at the top, with the Universal Studios production number painted below. Director Steven Spielberg is painted below the title, and a length of tape with the name of underwater cameraman Rexford Metz has been applied over the name of director of photography Bill Butler. The clapperboard has sections at the bottom of the board for noting the scene and take. The final noted date of use for the board, written on lengths of tape above the right hand window, is 22 January 1975. Various pieces of tape featuring letters and numbers are present on the reverse. The board shows various signs of natural production wear across the slate and sticks. The clapperboard is supplied with a copy of The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb, which details the making of the film and features a photograph of Spielberg holding the board on set. Dimensions: 4 cm x27 cm x 32 cm (1 ½" x 10 ¾" x 12 ¾") VAT Status - Margin