Bodies in Cinema: Evaluating Operationalisations of Closeness to Movie Characters

Based on theoretical considerations on embodied affectivity in social life, the feeling of being close is argued to be pivotal for experiencing one-sided interactions with movie characters. Currently, a feasible methodology to be used in order to measure this variable is still missing. A subsample (n = 14) from existing data is used to evaluate three operationalisations of closeness to the main character in two central scenes of the movie Sehnsucht by Valeska Grisebach: (1) Closeness as grades of familiarity is operationalised using a pictorial measure with the participant indicating which of two more or less overlapping circles (one representing the self, one representing the screen character) describes the relationship best. (2) Physical closeness is assessed with recordings of the eye movements which provide a fine-grained measurement of distance to the screen. (3) Closeness as synchronicity could be observed by analysing the facial expressions and movements of the participant in front of the screen simultaneously with the expressions and movements of the movie characters. The results of the study point to limitations of an operationalisation of closeness as familiarity by using a single-item measurement. Furthermore, with synchronicity being rarely observed, this way of being close appears to be a phenomenon of minor relevance for movie reception. The measurement of physical closeness, however, indicates a promising approach due to behavioural patterns being detectable and easily interpretable in accordance with the movie’s content. Ideas for further methodological development of an operationalisation of physical closeness are proposed.