The 180 Degree Line Rule And When To Break It

If you've ever been on a film set, you might have heard of the mysterious concept of crossing the line. And while this might seem like a mystifying idea, it's actually fairly simple to understand and execute. So let's go over what the 180 degree line rule is, and even talk about some exceptions where you can break it.

The 180 degree line is an imaginary line drawn between the characters in a scene. The rule says that you should always keep your cameras on the same side of the line to help establish and maintain screen direction. By doing this, the eyeline for both characters will always be the same and it will look as if they are looking at each other. By keeping the camera on the same side of the line, we can maintain that eyeline in close-ups.

Now when the 180 degree rule is broken, it can be disorienting for viewers because the background and eye line for the characters change. If you were to move the camera to the other side of the line for a closeup, thus crossing, it you'd end up with the wrong eyeline and a part of the background that wasn't already established in the wide shot. This can be jarring for the viewer, as it can make it difficult for them to determine where each character is in the scene. Pro-tip checking your characters eyeline is a quick and easy way to make sure you're maintaining the 180 degree rule.

Are you keeping this all straight? Great. Cause things are about to get tricky because surprise, the line can move. Just like how your camera can move, characters can move and their movement can move the line. Because a character is physically moving, they are physically moving the 180 degree line.

Okay. So now that you understand how to follow the 180 degree rule, let's talk about when you can break it. First you can break it by physically showing the camera move across the line. This works however, because we, as the audience got to see the physical movement of the camera crossing the line. But crossing the line in a hard cut, like this can also be effective.

Now, of course, anytime you cross the line, you want to make sure that it's story motivated. For example, maybe it's a chaotic scene and you want your audience to feel disoriented. Maybe you want your audience to feel uneasy, like something has gone wrong, or maybe a character has had a change of heart or power in a scene and you want to physically show that.

So now that you know what the 180 degree rule is, you can be sure to stay on the right side of the line or, you know, the wrong side, as long as it's motivated.

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