Presence and Average Duration of Fixations in Stereoscopic Film Compared to Planar Film

Abstract

A preliminary study with the eye-tracker and a presence questionnaire made on the same stimulus, the S????D film My Life Rehearsed in One Leg (Bogdan Mustață, 2018), allowed me to observe and propose a link between the concept of presence and the average duration of fixations. Often found in theatrical art, presence is related to the corporeality and physicality of the actor. From this perspective, presence refers to a physical duality that the performer can train. From the spectator’s perspective, however, presence refers to the subjective perception of the media object. The object of perception is most of the time the actor’s body, but the concept of presence is multi-faceted. Given this relationship between the viewer and the actor’s body (or the media object in general) I propose in this article that the longer average fixation duration of one condition relative to another be a sign of a higher degree of presence for that condition. Traditionally, the degree of presence is assigned to a media object using the presence questionnaire. Average fixation duration can be an objective tool with which to check the presence questionnaire. This conclusion needs to be studied further, beyond this preliminary study, on a sample with more subjects.