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Wildlife filmmaker Megan McCubbin first got close to a tiger shark eight years ago. She talks to James Rampton about the importance of these misunderstood creatures

Roy Schneider tackling the great white in Jaws (Corbis via Getty)

Jaws has a lot to answer for. Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1975 blockbuster and its indelible scenes of a remorseless great white shark terrorising the citizens of a small New England resort to the sound of the scariest score in cinema history had a profound impact on its worldwide audience.

Chief Brody's deathless reaction when he first comes face-to-face with the immense creature – “You're gonna need a bigger boat” – has consistently been voted the greatest line in movie history.

Depicting a ruthless killing machine with a seriously vengeful attitude, the global hit film inflicted massive damage on the reputation of sharks. After she saw it, one of my daughters refused to go into a swimming pool for several years. Sharks are in desperate need of a huge image makeover.