180 degree rule
Created on : December 4, 2023 15:28 | Last updated on : December 4, 2023 15:33
Denotation
A rule stating that a camera should be placed somewhere inside 180 degrees on a particular side of the invisible line of a shot containing two people filmed in sequence. If the camera crosses the line, confusion results for the film viewers, because it makes it look like the people are switching places as one watches the film.
Introduction
Regarding the on-screen spatial connection between a character and or any object inside a scene, the 180-degree rule is a fundamental guideline in filmmaking. According to the rule, the first character should always be frame right of the second character by keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary axis between the two characters. Jumping the line in a film or crossing the line in a film refers to moving the camera over the axis, shooting in the round refers to breaching the 180-degree rule by filming from all sides.
The 180-degree rule is crucial for narrating war scenes because it allows the viewer to visually connect with invisible activity occurring around and behind the immediate topic.
Instances Of 180-degree rule
It is possible to see a straight line passing across the two characters in a discussion scenario. The two characters' spatial connection will be constant from shot to shot if the camera stays on one side of this line. On a cut, moving to the other side of the characters will cause the characters to appear out of order from left to right and might confuse viewers.
The "line" that a character's route creates while movement is also subject to the rule. A character must leave the first shot on frame left and enter the following picture on frame right, for instance, if they are to be picked up by another camera as they are moving left.
Time can be indicated using a jump cut shot. It can create the impression that more time is passing if a character exits the frame on the left and then returns to it on the left in a different spot.
How Essential Is 180-degree rule in a Film?
The 180-degree rule is a crucial component of continuity editing, a type of film editing used in professional movies. Not every time is the rule followed. Occasionally, a filmmaker intentionally interrupts the action sequence to generate confusion. This was done by Carl Theodor Dreyer in The Passion of Joan of Arc and by Stanley Kubrick in The Shining, for example, in the toilet scene. Aside from Lars von Trier in Antichrist, other directors who have occasionally disregarded this criterion include Jacques Demy, Tinto Brass, Yasujir? Ozu, Wong Kar-wai, and Jacques Tati. In the opening five minutes of the landmark French New Wave film À bout de souffle (Breathless), Jean-Luc Godard defies convention by inventing a "aesthetic rebellion" between the front and back seats. This move would come to define the New Wave movement.
There are strategies that may be used to try to conceal an error made when the rule is broken unintentionally or due to a technical issue (such the incapacity to physically position a camera in the right spot). To divert the audience's attention from the violation of cinematic convention, the editor could, for instance, pre-lap a word or two of dialogue before cutting.
Certain styles can provide a visual rhythm or evoke an emotion when used with the 180-degree rule. When combined with a long shot, bringing the camera closer to the axis for a close-up may intensify the picture. The motion of the scene may pause when the camera is shifted farther off the axis for a long shot after a close up shot.
The fundamental idea is that following the guideline keeps characters on the appropriate side of the screen. It follows that breaking the rule is likely to cause distraction and break the moment's flow. After then, this is expanded to change the scene's emotions or cadence. Nevertheless, rather than being supported by actual data, these ideas are based on the subjective reports of filmmakers.
Crossing the border can have a detrimental impact on how well the picture is represented spatially, according to study. Moreover, shifting the locations of the characters may cause confusion for the viewers regarding their relative orientations on screen. The position of items in a scene appears to be affected by violations as well, although memory for the story, the sequence in which events develop, or the comprehension of narrative flow are unaffected.