180 degree rule 1

180 degree rule

The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film
making that states that two characters (or
other elements) in the same scene should
always have the same left/right relationship
to each other. If the camera passes over the
imaginary axis connecting the two subjects,
it is called crossing the line. The new shot,
from the opposite side, is known as a
reverse angle.

Examples
In the example of a dialogue, if Owen
(orange shirt in the diagram) is on the left
and Bob (blue shirt) is on the right, then
Owen should be facing right at all times,
even when Bob is off the edge of the frame,
This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which
and Bob should always be facing left. cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc,
Shifting to the other side of the characters the characters switch places on the screen.
on a cut, so that Bob is now on the left side
and Owen is on the right, will disorient the viewer, and break the flow of the scene.
In the example of an action scene, such as a car chase, if a vehicle leaves the right side of the frame in one shot, it
should enter from the left side of the frame in the next shot. Leaving from the right and entering from the right will
create a similar sense of disorientation as in the dialogue example.
An example of sustained use of the 180 degree rule occurs throughout much of The Big Parade, a 1925 drama about
World War I directed by King Vidor. In the sequences leading up to the battle scenes, the American forces (arriving
from the west) are always shown marching from left to right across the screen, while the German troops (arriving
from the east) are always shown marching from right to left. After the battle scenes, when the weary troops are
staggering homeward, the Americans are always shown crossing the screen from right to left (moving west) and the
Germans from left to right (moving east). The audience's viewpoint is therefore always from a consistent position, in
this case southward of the action.

Problems caused and solutions

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.[1]
Avoiding crossing the line is a problem that those learning filmcraft will need to struggle with. In the above example
with the car chase, a possible solution is to begin the second cut with the car driving into frame from the "wrong"
side. Although this may be wrong in the geographic sense on set, it looks more natural to the viewer. Another
possibility is to insert a "buffer shot" of the subject head-on (or from behind) to help the viewer understand the
camera movement.
180 degree rule 2

Style
In professional productions, the applied 180° rule is an essential element for a style of film editing called continuity
editing. The rule is not always obeyed. Sometimes a filmmaker will purposely break the line of action in order to
create disorientation. Stanley Kubrick was known to do this, for example in the bathroom scene in The Shining. The
Wachowski Brothers and directors Tinto Brass, Yasujiro Ozu, Wong Kar-wai, and Jacques Tati sometimes ignored
this rule also,[2] as has Lars von Trier in Antichrist.[3]
The British television presenters Ant & Dec extend this continuity to almost all their appearances, with Ant almost
always on the left and Dec on the right, as does the Japanese pop duo PUFFY, with Yumi Yoshimura on the left and
Ami Onuki on the right. Some filmmakers state that the fictional axis created by this rule can be used to plan the
emotional strength of a scene. The closer a camera is placed to the axis, the more emotionally involved the audience
will be.
In the Japanese animated picture Paprika, two of the main characters discuss crossing the line and demonstrate the
disorienting effect of actually performing the action.
In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gollum has a conversation with his other
personality—assuming he has multiple personality disorder. Because the filmmakers use the 180 degree rule, and
have the "good" Gollum looking left as he speaks while the "evil" Gollum looking right, the audience perceives
Gollum as two different characters talking to each other.

See also
• Continuity editing
• 30 degree rule

References
[1] Nick Jamilla: Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7864-3461-9 pp. 213-14
[2] (http:/ / www. solutioneers. net/ cinema/ axis. htm#)
[3] (http:/ / www. religiondispatches. org/ archive/ mediaculture/ 1956/ mother_(nature)_will_eat_you:_lars_von_trier’s_antichrist)

External links
• Some excerpts on the 30 Degree rule as well. (http://www.film.queensu.ca/250/250Continuity.html)
• VIDEO on 180 degree rule (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyyuqmCW14)
Article Sources and Contributors 3

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