The personal space in the film work of Hiroshi Teshigahara

This research paper examines the concept of personal space and its boundaries as recorded in the cinema of Hiroshi Teshigahara. Specifically, filmic spaces are presented in which these boundaries become noticeable through the positioning and movement of subjects in space. Two main questions are being investigated. The first concerns the definitions of the boundaries of personal space by the director. While the second concerns his interpretation in terms of their violation or protection. The filmic spaces are selected from the films “Woman in the Dunes”, “The Face of Another”, “Pitfall” and “Ako”. The definition of personal space is approached through the international bibliography of psychology and anthropology. The main researchers of the topic of interpersonal distances are Edward T. Hall and Robert Sommer. Their discoveries are traced in the work of Teshigahara and are analyzed. The selected filmic spaces are analyzed by design in two ways. Firstly, the space in which the action takes place is analyzed objectively. In these drawings people are presented through architectural mediums and their personal space is defined as defined by Edward T. Hall. In addition, the position of the camera and the architectural boundaries of the filmic space of each scene are determined. Then, the atmosphere of the space is analyzed. The atmosphere analysis drawings use the camera angle chosen by the director and present the view of the space from the viewer’s perspective. In this part of the analysis, a reference is made to the director’s decisions regarding the frame, the composition and the use of materials, whether they are architectural elements or natural elements of the landscape, clothes etc. Materials play a very important role in Tehsigahara’s cinema and in his visual work in general.