Edward T. Hall proposed a theory of proxemics to analyze how physical distance between people affects their behavior. He identified four categories of distance: intimate distance (touching), personal distance (1.5-4 feet for friends), social distance (4-12 feet for acquaintances), and public distance (12+ feet for strangers). A film director can use shot size and camera placement to convey psychological attitudes about characters and situations based on the distances between them.

1. Proxemics
Cinematography and Social
Psychology

2. • A popular psychologist, Edward T Hall, has
written a couple of books, “The Hidden
Dimension’ and ‘The Silent Language’ on what
he calls a theory of proxemic’s.
• It purports to be a study of how peoples
behaviour are affected by the physical
distances between them.

3. • Hall suggests that these can be divided into
four categories: Intimate Distance, Personal
Distance, Social Distance and
Impersonal/Remote Distance.

4. • The camera always takes what could be
construed as a psychological attitude to what
it is filming, an attitude that directly affects
the story being told.

5. • By using different shot sizes and placement of
camera, a director is able to make a clear
statement about his thoughts and feelings
concerning the story’s characters and the
situations they find themselves in, thoughts
and feelings concerning

6. Remote Distance

7. Remote Distance
• The individual person is not identified as a
particular person. Figure is recognised only by
costume of because of the situation or
context.

8. Public Distance

9. Public Distance
• This distance will be maintained by people
who have to establish a ‘public status’, who
are ‘unapproachable’ as individuals

10. Social Distance

11. • At fifteen feet to ten feet, deportment and
dress are on display. In a social environment
manners are likely to be self-conscious

12. Social Distance

13. Social Distance
• Speech and gesture are apt to be fairly
deliberate, formal and still a little ‘projected’ if
in the presence of a group of people.

14. Personal Distance

15. Personal Distance
• Reserved for close acquaintances or friends. A
stranger who invades this ‘ Private Space” may
be regarded as an intruder.

16. Personal Distance

17. Personal Distance
• Closer still implies that the relationship is
‘one-on-one’. The presence of others is
ignored. Speech will be impromptu and the
communication more ‘non-verbal’.

18. Intimate Distance

19. Intimate Distance
• Physical involvement. Acceptable in public if
participants are ‘family’. It does imply
exclusion of others, normally demands some
degree of privacy.