Art
Joe Alves
Born 1936-05-21 · San Leandro, California, USA
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 designed the three mechanical sharks for the movie Jaws (1975) with mechanical effects man Bob Mattey supervising their physical construction in Sun Valley CA. After the sharks were completed, they were trucked to the shooting location, but unfortunately they had not been tested in water causing a series of delays that have become quite legendary over time. 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).
Acting credits
7.5The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
2025
7.3After three decades, Jaws continues to intrigue, thrill and frighten viewers. This documentary focuses on the many ways in which Jaws has helped to shape popular culture.
The Shark Is Still Working
2009
7.1A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
2001
6.3In the summer of 1975, the young director Steven Spielberg set new standards for cinema worldwide with an oversized shark bite, a plastic shark fin and an unmistakable two-note main theme composed by John Williams. With the horror from the deep, a man-eating, gigantic great white shark, the film of the same name became a similarly traumatic reference as Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho": it triggered lasting primal fears across generations. On the beaches of the world, there was clearly a "before" and an "after". Steven Spielberg, who was only 28 at the time, not only set new standards for the thriller genre, but also hid his biting criticism of US capitalism in the 1970s behind it.
Jaws, a Monstrous Success
2024
6.8A documentary on the making of one of the greatest films ever made, filled with trivia, interviews from cast and crew and never-before-seen footage.
The Making of 'Jaws'
1995
Retrospective documentary on the making of John Carpenter's science fiction cult classic "Escape from New York."
Return to 'Escape from New York'
2003
6.7The ultimate deep dive into the world of shark cinema: filmmakers, critics, scholars and conservationists explore the weird, wild cinematic legacy of sharks on film and audiences' undying fascination with these misunderstood creatures.
Sharksploitation
2024
NRSergio Castellitto's narration traces the history of 3D cinema, which began with cinema itself, through films from the early 1900s such as "L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat" by the Lumière brothers, to the great titles of the 1950s such as Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon."
Viaggio nel cinema in 3D: Una storia vintage
2016
NRExplores the life of local Martha's Vineyard legend, Craig Kingsbury, and his impact on the production of Steven Spielberg’s classic movie
The Farmer and the Shark
2025
NRA documentary about the career of legendary production designer Joe Alves and his four decades in Hollywood.
Not Your Average Joe
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2.0A brand new retrospective documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and featuring interviews with writer Nick Castle, cinematographer Dean Cundey, composer Alan Howarth, production designer Joe Alves, special visual effects artist/model maker Gene Rizzardi, production assistant David De Coteau, photographer Kim Gottleib-Walker, Carpenter biographer John Muir, visual effects historian Justin Humphreys, and music historian Daniel Schweiger.
Purgatory: Entering John Carpenter's 'Escape From New York'
2018
6.3A look at how Dial M for Murder (1954) was produced for 3-D viewing.
3D: A Brief History
2004
