Joe Alves


Joseph M. Alves is an American film production designer, perhaps best known for his work on the first three films of the Jaws films. He directed the third installment Jaws 3-D.

Career

Alves has designed three features for Steven Spielberg, firstly for The Sugarland Express. He designed the three mechanical sharks for the movie Jaws 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 for Best Art Direction and won the BAFTA for Best Art Direction for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Alves worked on Jaws 2 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. Jeannot Szwarc was hired, however, to complete the film.
The model of New York he created for John Carpenter's Escape from New York has been described as "memorably derelict", and he was visual consultant on Carpenter's Starman.
He directed Jaws 3-D, which took advantage of the revival in popularity of 3-D at the time. The film received generally weak critical reception, with Variety criticising 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 only film as director.

Filmography

Film

Television (as art director)

YearTitleNotes---
YearTitleNotes1969The Name of the Game1 episode
1969–1970Marcus Welby, M.D.2 episodes---
1970–1973Night Gallery42 episodes---
19701 episode---
1970The Young CountryTV movie---
1971Sarge1 episode---
1971The Psychiatrist6 episodes---
1972Ironside1 episode---
1972–1973Hec Ramsey4 episodes---
1973Isn't It Shocking?TV movie---
1973Double IndemnityTV movie---
1973Scream, Pretty PeggyTV movie---