A more practical example?

Casey is known for his custom sunglasses and he ALWAYS wears them. He also confirmed how the shades help him in getting filmed, by being able to look at the screen instead of the lens, while giving us the feeling of being directly involved, as if he is looking us in the eye.

And besides that, the glasses make his face a highly recognizable icon everywhere.

But during this episode, as we said, he had to talk about something serious, something important. So he takes the good chair (and not the wooden stool) and he sits, because indeed when a bad news comes, it is always better to be seated, and… he raises his glasses. No background music, quiet studio, good illumination, eyes at the camera: the vlog stops.

He’s going to talk about something important, he is symbolically saying “You, viewer in front of my YouTube video, please, listen.” even before saying it in words.

Shortly after Casey’s introduction, the picture changes and his friend Marlan appears. Behind him, the whole studio is lit with warm lights, which following the color theories (Johannes Itten, Gestalt psychology) have a tranquilizing effect and create a contrast with Marlan’s brown suit, recalling the golden yellow of the UPS logo on it.

In this way, probably happened by chance, the viewer is put at ease and simultaneously directed to the subject.

But Casey never leaves the shot, after a moment he sits down next to him, back slightly, smaller. By doing so, he doesn’t steal the limelight from his friend whilst — as the branch of semiotics that deals with proxemics tells us — he’s giving the viewers the perception that he supports and personally shares Marlan’s cause.

Sunglasses are now on, our eyes are connected only to his friend’s eyes and we are not distracted by him. In semiotics, the engagement between our eyes and those of Marlan is called with the italian term «funzione fàtica».