• Psychologists and anthropologists have studied how we are affected by space and therefore how it affects film… animals are territorial, we want our personal space, and when to crowded we feel stress, tension, and anxiety … can provoke aggression, violence and a battleRefers to the director’s use of volume and depth…spatial considerations
• Directors want to avoid abstract, flat look in their compositions.
• One crucial decision a director must make is to decide how much detail should be included in the frame or shot (how close should we get)
• Territories have a spatial hierarchy of power- the amount of space an organizism occupies relates to the amount of control it has over its territory
• Space is a principal medium of communication in film
• Space = dramatic importance
• A master of mis en scene can express shifting psychological and social nuances by with a single shot—by exploiting space between characters, the depth planes within images, the intrinsically weighted areas of the frame, and the directions the actors are facing.

• A technique directors use is to think of space in terms of Foreground, midground and background; this alters the dominant contrast of an image, serving as a qualifier that is subtle or conspicuous.
• Whatever is placed in the foreground comments on the figure in the background…see image
  

1. Full Front-facing – the most intimate, addressing the camera is ultimate in intimacy
2. The quarter turn- gives emotional intimacy yet with less involvement. The quarter turn is the most favored position of filmmakers. It provides a high degree of intimacy but with less emotional involvement.
3. The Profile- more remote, character is unaware of being observed, lost in thought
4. The 3/4 Turn- more anonymous, unfriendly, antisocial, rejecting our interest.
5. Back to camera- suggests character’s alienation, concealment, mystery, we want to see more.\

• Tightly Framed- confined- close-ups-– spatial tension- exploit lines, the figures appear to be confined.
• Loosely framed-They tend to suggest freedom/ wider shot

- Igby Goes Down (USA, 2002) Protagonist is isolated on the left of the frame to show alienation away from family, seated on the right.

-The Blue Angel (Germany, 1930)- Chaotic and packed, swirling in smoke and clutters with tawdry ornaments. It is very full.

-THX 1138 (USA ,1971- Sterile and empty. A lot of space.

-Armageddon (USA, 1999)- Full front position can be confronting. Characters face the camera straight on.


-Leaving Las Vegas (USA, 1999)- The full frontal position used in this movie provides an intimate feeling, the faces can be viewed as visual landscapes.

-All or Nothing (Britain, 2002)- Three quarter shots were used in this movie and it tends to make us feel like voyeurs prying into the private lives of the characters.