180 Degree Rule

Venezia Verdi

Non-Linear Editing

Alex Bordino

Spring 2015

An important rule to remember whenever shooting and editing any type of film is the 180 degree rule. This rule states that all angles must stay within a 180 degree semi-circle constructed upon an imaginary line based off of the character’s eye lines, also known as the ‘line of action.’ The 180 degree rule keeps the camera on one side of the action at all times. This technique helps maintain consistency when only one character is shown at a time. For example, in a conversation taking place between two people, an over the shoulder shot may be used to show one person’s face/body only; however, the 180 degree rule (enacted through the use of camera placement and the character’s eye-line direction) helps viewers strategically know where the other unseen or partially hidden character is. If the camera’s view were to cross over the axis of action it would appear that the character’s positions swapped, thus confusing the viewer. There are rare cases when the 180 degree rule is broken for stylistic preferences. For example, the director Yasujro Ozu constantly breaks the rule in his works, but he does so purposely to give his viewers a feeling of uneasiness which contributes to his execution of the story.