The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 Degree Rule

In filming, the 180 degree rule is a basic guideline with the on-screen relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene.
The idea of the rule is that an invisible line is created through both characters /objects, that the angle of the camera cannot cross, this is because a scene with camera shots over the line would cause confusion, as it could appear as if the characters are facing the same direction.

Something that is integrated within the 180 degree rule would be the use of an eye line match. The eye-line match is necessary to maintain the spectators in a state of believability towards the content they are watching. The meaning of this is that when a character is established to be on the left, it is assumed he is looking towards the character on the right. So if the character on left is then cut to be on the right side of the shot it is wrong as it would look the the characters are talking in the same direction and not towards each other. Another use of an eye line match is POV like, if a character looks up then a shot of birds in the sky is revealed, this is another use of an eye line match.

It is unlikely for these rules to be broken within filming due to the negative effects onto the film from them, but there are times when this has been proven useful and has added to the film immersion by creating the scene of the scene being surreal and odd. The rule can be broken when promoting a certain idea within the film, one example in which the 180 degree rule is broken is within The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick).  This is used within a crucial part of the film regarding the psyche of a character.

Example of an eye-line match

Screenshot of scene from The Shining, (1980, Stanley Kubrick)