Character Proxemics

 

How much space is there between the characters?

The way people use space can be divided into four proxemic patterns.

    1. Intimate distances: the intimate distance ranges from skin contact to about eighteen inches away. This is the distance of physical involvement--of love, comfort, and tenderness between individuals.
    2. Personal distances: the personal distance ranges roughly from eighteen inches away to about four feet away. These distances tend to be reserved for friends and acquaintances. Personal distances preserve the privacy between individuals, yet these rages don't necessarily suggest exclusion, as intimate distances often do.
    3. Social distances: the social distance rages from four feet to about twelve feet. These distances are usually reserved for impersonal business and casual social gatherings. It's a friendly range in most cases, yet somewhat more formal than the personal distance.
    4. Public distances: The public distance extends from twelve feet to twenty-five feet or more. This range tends to be formal and rather detached.

Ghost World (2001)

 

The distance in this shot is intimate, showing that the characters are good friends and are comfortable with each other at this point in the movie.

 

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