Think Tank Thursday

Proximity/Space

The human brain interprets things as belonging to the same group when they are close to another.

This principle can sometimes overlap with the closure principle, discussed in an earlier post, in which oir minds create the most logical picture from the information given.

Our minds have an insatiable need to organize and make things neat. Putting things into groups allows the mind to make broader judgments about more objects/items/people so it can free up space to deal with more stimulus. It is the base drive behind why we stereotype groups of people.

For combat we can use this automatic drive to direct focus, tell relationships, and/or intrigue the audience.

An easy and interesting example is when a man and woman are about to engage in a fight and their relationship is unkonwn to the audience. If the start out extremely close to eachother the fact that they are of opposite sex will cause tthe audience to automatically  assume some sort of sensual or romantic connection. You really pique their interest and focus when you violate thqt expectation and instead have the characters behaving threateningly. Now the audience is trying to guess ahead as to what will happen, how it will happen, and how it started in the first place. Basically, they are hanging on your every word and movement, in large part simply due to proximity.

The audience isn't easily fooled, however. There has to be a justifiable reason to be in that distance and the same trick can't be overused.

When dealing with another actors space be sure to communicate and be respectful. Often In theatre we are thrown together as strangers and asked to do intimate things without any real discussion. It doesn't have to be that way. Safety involves mental health and comfort as well as physical and you have the right to say something anytime you are uncomfortable.

Greg