- published: 18 Nov 2014
- views: 134408
In filmmaking, the 180° rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line, called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. If the camera passes over the axis, it is called crossing the line or jumping the line.
In a dialogue scene between two characters, Justin (orange shirt, frame left in the diagram) and Drew (blue shirt, frame right), the camera may be placed anywhere on the green 180° arc and the spatial relationship between the two characters will be consistent from shot to shot, even when one of the character is not on screen. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that Drew is now on the left side and Justin is on the right, may disorient the audience.
The 180 degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate subject and is important in the narration of battle scenes. The visual disjointedness of the battle scene on Geonosis in the Star Wars film Attack of the Clones is an example.