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Hypertext syntagmas: cinematic narration with links
180.degree

The 180 degree rules is used to maintain the constancy of screen direction in cinema, and often forms part of what is known as an establishing shot. When a camera films an event then clearly it establishes a left and right side to the action. The 180 degree rule basically describes a line running perpendicular to the camera and the camera is understood to have to stay on the same side of this line for each of the subsequent shots it makes. The effect of this is to maintain screen direction during each edit, for to move the camera to the other side of the 180 degree line would mean that the person (for example) who had been looking left was now looking right.

This is commonly employed today in television sports broadcasting, so that on a football pitch the cameras generally are only used on one side of the ground. This is simply the 180 degree rule in operation, so that the audience always knows that left is the direction of side A's goals, and right is Side B's. If the cameras were on both sides of the ground then the 180 degree rule would be broken and the audience would, hypoethetically, suddenly think their team were striving for an own goal!

The exception to this rule is where the camera is moving, in these circumstances it can freely cross the 180 degree line, though where the movement terminates is understood to establish a new 180 degree line.

A demonstration of the 180 degree rule. Simply mouse over the numbered camera positions to see the screen view. The 180 degree rule states that the camera should stay on the same side of the imaginary axis between the characters, as a shot from position 4 would reverse screen direction. Contrast this with the kiss from Day of Wrath.

As with the point of view shot this rule of classical narrative is put in service of continuity of action - though it too is routinely broken in numerous films, generally without the audience's realisation.

Adrian Miles: Hypertext syntagmas: cinematic narration with links
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