Known For
Art
Born
May 21, 1936
Place of Birth
San Leandro, California, USA
Credits
35 titles
Joe Alves
Biography
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).
Known For
Filmography
The Farmer and the Shark
Self
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
Self
Jaws, a Monstrous Success
Self - set designer
Sharksploitation
Self
Purgatory: Entering John Carpenter's 'Escape From New York'
Self
Viaggio nel cinema in 3D: Una storia vintage
The Shark Is Still Working
Self
3D: A Brief History
Return to 'Escape from New York'
Himself
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Self
Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists
Production Design
Fire Down Below
Production Design
Shadow Conspiracy
Production Design
The Making of 'Jaws'
Self
Drop Zone
Production Design
Geronimo: An American Legend
Production Design
Everybody's All-American
Production Design
Starman
Second Unit Director
Jaws 3-D
Director
Escape from New York
Production Design
Jaws 2
Production Design
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Production Design
Embryo
Production Design
Jaws
Production Design
The Sugarland Express
Art Direction
Scream, Pretty Peggy
Art Direction
Double Indemnity
Art Direction
Isn't It Shocking?
Art Direction
See the Man Run
Art Direction
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
Art Direction
Pufnstuf
Art Direction
The Young Country
Art Direction
Change of Habit
Assistant Art Director
Winning
Art Direction
Not Your Average Joe
Self