Interview with JOE ALVES, Production Designer, Spielberg Jaws Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Joe Alves (born 21 May 1936, San Leandro, California) is an American film production designer, perhaps best known for his work on three of the Jaws films. He directed Jaws 3-D.

Alves has designed three features for Steven Spielberg, firstly for The Sugarland Express. He supervised the construction of the three mechanical sharks for Jaws (1975) with special effects artist Bob Mattey. After the sharks were completed, they were shipped to the shooting location, but unfortunately they had not been tested in water, and when placed in the ocean the full model sank straight to the ocean floor.

He was nominated for the Academy Award and won the BAFTA for Best Art Direction for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Alves worked on Jaws 2 (1978) in the capacity of both production designer and as second unit director. After John D. Hancock, the initial director of Jaws 2, was sacked, it was suggested that Alves co-direct it with Verna Fields (who edited the original Jaws). Jeannot Szwarc was hired, however, to complete the film.

The model of New York he created for John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981) has been described as "memorably derelict", and he was visual consultant on Carpenter's Starman (1984).

He directed Jaws 3-D (1983), which took advantage of the revival in popularity of 3-D at the time. The film received generally weak critical reception, with Variety criticizing Alves for failing "to linger long enough on the Great White." He was nominated as 'worst director' in the 1983 Golden Raspberry Awards. Jaws 3-D was his first and final film as director.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Joe
• Alves
• Jaws
• Steven
• Spielberg
• Sugarland
• Express
• sharks
• Close
• Encounters
• of
• the
• Third
• Kind
• herve
• attia

[will4ward]

Just saw CE3k projected at the UnitedLA fest in Hollywood, wow great to see it onscreen again breathtaking -thanks JOe and Steve!

[2010whitewolf]

The hole family is humble I should know I grew up in the family for 29 years Joe Alves is my cusent all thoe I never met him I wold like to one day

[nealtracy]

Great interview......a very humble guy.......and a true genius!

[snake5475]

I respect Joe Alves for directed Jaws 3 I thought he did great directing the movie.

[LeShark75]

@SCOTTHQ I had the honour of speaking to Joe on the Phone for 30 mins last year while on Martha's Vineyard for our once in a life time holiday, he was indeed a very very nice man and more than willing to talk all about Jaws & Jaws 3D. I was stunned when I got the call and it was all down to a great friend.

[SCOTTHQ]

is it just me or is this guy a proper nice dude its as if he loves chatting about it ..what a great guy and both of theses steven speilbergs films are awsome

[termsguy]

Great interview. Alves is a really cool guy. As a film/tv location scout for the last 15 years in Vancouver BC, I enjoyed hearing about how they picked the locations. I was also reminded of just how powerful the film was when it first came out. Nice touch putting yourself onto the tv screen at the end.

Good job, Herve.

[JamesLimborg]

Fun to watch, Thanks.

[jfbflash]

The houses weren't to be set in Ohio. It was Muncie, Indiana.

[Ponerology]

Finally, Close Encounters as an Attia production. Looking forward to it.