What Is the 180 Rule in Video Production?
In video production, mostly in movie making, the 180° rule refers to a standard about the spatial relationship between two characters or between a character and an object within a scene. According to the rule, the camera is required to stay on one side of a hypothetical axis between the two characters. Therefore, the first character is kept on the right of the second character or object.
Video viewers are able to connect with unseen movement happening around and behind the immediate object visually relying on the 180° rule, which is extremely vital in battle scene narration in films.
What is a 180 rule video? Accordingly, a 180 degree rule video is generated obeying the 180-degree rule.
About the Jump Cut
Jump cut refers to shifting from one cut to another, which can be used to denote time. For example, if a character is moving leftward and is to be picked up by another camera, the character should exit the former cut on frame left and enter the latter cut on frame right. Otherwise, the viewer will have the illusion that an extended amount of time passing.
What Is a Reverse Cut?
If the camera is moved over the hypothetical axis, it is called “crossing or jumping the line”. Switching to the other side of the characters on a cut will reverse the characters’ order from right to left. If a shot continuing with the previous shot locates on the opposite side of the 180° hypothetical axis, it is named as a reverse cut, which may confuse viewers.
To avoid the confusion that viewers may experience, we can change the movement in the scene. Or we can set up cameras on one side of the scene. Therefore, all the shots reflecting the view will come from the same side of the 180° line.
Another way to minimize the confusion the reverse cut brings to viewers is to permit crossing the line with several shots with the camera arching from one side of the line to the other during the scene. This shot is to tell the viewer that they are viewing from another angle.
Additionally, to weaken the difference between two cuts in a sequence on both sides of the 180-degree line, we can insert a buffer shot between the two cuts. Thus, the viewers can understand the change in viewpoint in different cuts.
The Application of Reverse Cut Beyond 180 Rule Video
In professional video productions, the 180 degree rule video is the standard and the 180° rule is an essential element for a style of movie editing, which is called continuity editing. However, the rule is broken sometimes purposely by filmmakers to create disorientation.
When the 180-degree rule is broken accidentally or for a technical reason like being unable to set up a camera in the correct position, we can take advantage of some techniques to try to hide the “jump”. For instance, the movie editor can pre-lap a word or two of a dialog prior to the reverse cut so that the viewer may focus on the words and ignore the switch in the scene.
Should We Stick to the 180 Rule Video or Accept the “Reversion”?
In traditional ideas with less empirical evidence, obeying the 180° rule by keeping the characters’ positions unchanged can ensure the sequence. Otherwise, viewers can be confused and the movement flow can be disrupted. However, in some research, reverse cuts do affect spatial memory, but they won’t affect the memory for the narration, the order of unfolding events, or the narrative flow understanding.
In general, sticking to the 180-degree rule to make 180 rule videos isn’t a necessity in practical cases since accurate spatial display may be unimportant for the scene, nor are they remembered putting in the long film. On the contrary, new evidence indicates that the position disorder has little impact on the enjoyment of the film.
You May Also Like
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Helen enjoys the process of turning video clips and photos about herself into beautiful videos. Then, she will share the videos on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The most exciting thing is to see the increasing number of views of her videos. Helen is willing to share her ideas about making wonderful videos from scratch. Thus, she writes articles for MiniTool Technology.