The Geometry of Storytelling: Theatrical Use of Space for 360-degree Videos and Virtual Reality

360-degree filming and head-mounted displays (HMDs) give recorded media a new sense of space. Theatre practitioners' expertise in manipulating spatial interactions has much to contribute to immersive recorded content. Four theatre directors led teams of three actors to stage the same scene for both immersive theatre and for 360-degree filming. Each team was recorded performing the scene at least six times, three in each condition, to extract actors' coordinates. This study establishes how to quantify theatre practitioners' use of spatial interactions and examines the spatial adaptations made when transferring these relationships to 360-degree filming. Staging for a 360-degree camera compared to staging for an audience member had shorter distances from the camera and between performers, along with fewer instances of the camera being in the middle of the action. Across all groups, interpersonal distance between characters and between the audience/camera dropped at the end of the scene when the characters come together as a team, suggesting that elements of Proxemics may be applicable to narrative performance.