In film making, the 180 degree rule is a basic guideline in regards to the relationship between two characters or a character and object. 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 is always on the right of the second character who is on the left of the first character in the frame.
This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned. When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen. The object that is being filmed must always remain in the center, while the camera must always face towards the object.
In a dialogue scene between two characters, Bob (orange shirt, frame left in the diagram) and Bill (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 characters is not on screen. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that Lucas is now on the left side and August is on the right, may disorient the audience.
The rule also applies to the movement of a character as the "line" created by the path of the character. For example, if a character is walking in a leftward direction and is to be picked up by another camera, the character must exit the first shot on frame left and enter the next shot frame right.
This is how the 180 degree rule is being used in our work:
M- Matthew
Z- Zach
T- Tyler
Good work Nathan and Harry. Good explanations, and very good application to the diagram of your location. Well done!
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