The 180 Degree Rule
The 180-degree rule is a basic guideline for the on-screen relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. There is an imaginary line that goes between the subject of the current shot (who will be the audience’s focus of attention) and the object that this subject is looking at (which can be a person or thing). The camera passing over the imaginary line is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides. The object that is being filmed must always remain in the centre, while the camera must always face towards the object. The line can be shifting around all over the place, and it may not be between the two people talking at all.
If you break the rule it will confuse the audience, they will lose focus, become disorientated and miss vital parts of the film. However, there are ways of getting around the rule. The only way to cross the line without disorientating the audience is to show the camera movement. You cannot cut across the line or the viewer will be disorientated. Once the line has been crossed, and movement is shown, you have to stay on that side of the line, unless you show the movement back over it.
The 180-degree rule is a basic guideline for the on-screen relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. There is an imaginary line that goes between the subject of the current shot (who will be the audience’s focus of attention) and the object that this subject is looking at (which can be a person or thing). The camera passing over the imaginary line is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides. The object that is being filmed must always remain in the centre, while the camera must always face towards the object. The line can be shifting around all over the place, and it may not be between the two people talking at all.
If you break the rule it will confuse the audience, they will lose focus, become disorientated and miss vital parts of the film. However, there are ways of getting around the rule. The only way to cross the line without disorientating the audience is to show the camera movement. You cannot cut across the line or the viewer will be disorientated. Once the line has been crossed, and movement is shown, you have to stay on that side of the line, unless you show the movement back over it.
This image shows where the camera is allowed (the green area) and where the camera is not allowed (the red area). It also shows that if the camera goes onto the red side, the people would switch around.
This is a link to a scene where the 180 degree rule is broken.
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