Audience Feedback

I asked my friends to fill in the questionnaire that the group created and here are a couple of responses.

This is a response from my friend who's in university and doesn't normally watch thrillers. I thought it was quite interesting to see how the opening sequence came across to someone who normally wouldn't watch this type of film:


Age: 19
Gender: Female

1. What is the name of this film and can you tell us what happens in the sequence?
The Anesthetist. An 18-year old white girl is followed through a deserted woodland area by a white male. She wears little, even unsubstantial, clothing and has perhaps suffered an assault beforehand and has run away from her attacker or been dumped there. This is maybe suggested through the fact her shoe has come off her foot. The attacker finally catches up with the girl and she is drugged. Her lifeless body is dragged through the woodland. The scene then changes to what the viewer assumes to be the killer’s residence and the audio is a voiceover from a news report on the succession of murders of young girls. We learn that the drug was the "toxic sedative" Chloroform. The killer crosses off photos of the lifeless bodies of the young girls in what could be said to be a satanic shrine.

2. What genre category would you put this film into and why?
Thriller/mild horror due to the content of the piece and its storyline.

3. What do you think the rest of the film will be about?
I think that there could perhaps be a continuation of the killing spree with perhaps more involvement of members of the local community. This would maybe follow the ordeals of more young girls, most possibly all from the same area. Interaction between the killer and the rest of the community would no doubt be a focus. A completely different stance could be taken though and the film could focus on what it was like to be in the killer’s mind.

4. And would you go and watch it?
Though the story is intriguing and the air of suspense leads the viewer to want to know more, in honesty it is probably not the kind of film I would be likely to go and watch at the cinema due to my personal preference in film genres. I am not a major fan of thriller/horror films.

5. What works well in the sequence and what do you think could be improved?
I feel the suspense in the opening shot of the victim on the floor with a shoe missing from her foot is highly effective in gripping the viewer’s attention from the start. I believe the music suits the piece very well as it definitely sets the eerie mood without being too over-dramatic and unbelievable. The way the shot flicks back and forwards between the killer and the victim is really effective as it really picks up the pace and makes it seem as though the killer’s approach is a lot faster than you’d think it would be. I’m not quite sure how to interpret the crossing out of photos by the killer. I think that it perhaps seems a bit over-dramatic and maybe comical to put a cross through the photos with a red pen. However, it does add to the eerie feel of the film with the photos being of the lifeless bodies as opposed to when the girls were still alive.

6. Do you think it is a British, American or European film?
British

7. What sort of cinema would you expect to see this film in? (e.g. Arthouse cinema, Multiplex etc)
I find it difficult to answer this without knowing where the storyline was going. However, from the opening I would probably say it was the kind of film most likely to be shown in more of an Arthouse/independent cinema.

8. What would you give the opening sequence out of 10?
8 out of 10. I’ve perhaps been a bit harsh here with the mark due to the fact I am not a big fan of thriller or horror films. Having said that though, the sequence is definitely gripping and the stark contrast between the woodland scene to the killer’s home is rather chilling. I also think the anonymity of the killer makes it more chilling as the viewer never sees his face clearly. For fans of thriller films I’m sure they would be compelled to watch on and discover more. The way the film grips the viewer’s attention right from the first few seconds is a major achievement.
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I thought it was interesting to see that even though my friend doesn't normally watch thriller films, she was still easily able to identify the genre signifiers as well as guess what the rest of the film would be about.
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And here's the response from my other friend who finished doing her degree in film theory last year:

Age: 22
Gender: Female

1. What is the name of this film and can you tell us what happens in the sequence?
The name of the film is The Anaesthetist. The sequence shows a young woman being chased through the woods by a man, who eventually catches her. We are then shown a series of photographs of other young women. The photographs all have red crosses through them. We stop on a photograph of the woman we saw being chased, and then the killer takes a red pen and draws a cross on her photograph too.

2. What genre category would you put this film into and why?
I would suggest that this film falls under the genre of slasher-horror. This is because it follows several of the conventions of the slasher genre, in particular a young woman wearing white being chased by a mysterious man.

3. What do you think the rest of the film will be about?
After watching this opening sequence, I would think that the rest of the film would follow a group of young girls, some of which would also become victims of the killer. There would be some mystery as to who the killer is, but it would be revealed in the final sequence. I would guess that there would be a "heroine" who would survive the film and stop the killer.

4. And would you go and watch it?
I would go to see this kind of film; its target audience would probably be teenagers to early 20s, primarily male, but also with some female appeal. The film's opening sequence reminds me of several other slasher-horror films, such as Scream, Halloween and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

5. What works well in the sequence and what do you think could be improved?
The sequence contained quite a few low angle shots, these were very effective when showing the girl running away. The framing of the shots was impressive, the focus on the feet instead of the whole body added to the suspense and confusion as to who the man is. The music was eerie and helped to create suspense throughout the sequence. Also, I think the slow pan at the end of the sequence, showing the photographs of other girls, clearly developed the notion that this was a serial killer, as opposed to a one-off kill.
In my opinion, one thing that could be improved is that the audience see too much of the killer's face. In order to further create tension for the rest of the film, I think it would be better to obscure the killer's face either with a mask or an item of clothing, such as a hat, scarf or hood. Also, as it was filmed on a handi-cam, this can be quite effective during chase sequences and for establishing point-of-view shots, but beware of OVER using them, as it can create motion sickness for the audience!

6. Do you think it is a British, American or European film?
The film looked like it would be American. It follows similar patterns to other American films of similar genre, and therfore I would think it would be an American film. It could be perhaps a British take on a predominantly American genre.

7. What sort of cinema would you expect to see this film in? (e.g. Arthouse cinema, Multiplex etc)
I would expect this film to be shown in a multiplex. I would imagine it to have quite a high budget and that it would open on many screens nationwide.

8. What would you give the opening sequence out of 10?
I would give the sequence 7 out of 10. It is effective and enticing, creating suspense and intrigue as to why the killer is murdering these girls. I am not entirely sure I like the title of "The Anaesthetist", it is quite long and complicated, but other than that the clip is well-made, well-edited and well-acted.

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The point that my friend made about 'The Anaesthetist' looking like an American film was very interesting. I think that she was right in saying that the film could be a British take on a predominantly American genre, since most (recent) well known serial killer films are American.