What is the 180° Rule, Anyway?

The 180 degree rule is one that is taught everywhere when learning about film.

This is a classic rule that makes movies easier to watch for the viewer.

With this rule you are pretending that you are facing the same direction without turning the camera further around which might make people nauseous.

It’s an easy way to keep a story linear and make sure you can tell a straight forward story as if there was a stage.

Key Takeaways:

Basically the 180 degree dictates the extent that a movie camera should confine itself when filming multiple subjects.
There are many reasons to break this rule and many innovative film makers will do so for the sake of their art, but the established standard makes these variances interesting.
The 180 degree rule helps frame a movie shot in a manner that makes sense for the audience. It is a way of creating a logic to the imagined physical space of the movie.

“After all, the simplest techniques can prove wildly complex in the right hands.”

Lance Carr

Lance is a fully qualified video editing tragic and renowned techno-struggler. He has put in the hard yards working out all manner of things technical... so you don't have to!