2. • In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the onscreen 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 jumping the line or crossing the line.
3. EXAMPLE
In a dialogue scene between two characters, 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 one of the characters is now on
the left side and the other is on the right, this may disorient
the audience.
Another example could be 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.
The rule also applies to the movement of a character as the
line is created by the "line" created by the path of the
character. If a character is walking in one direction and is
picked up by another camera they must, for example, exit
the frame on the left and enter the next shot on the right.
