For my research project, I opted to research the use of the 180 degree line in film, particularly the circumstances in which it is broken.

In summary, the 180 degree rule states that a hypothetical line is formed when two characters interact with each other, and that this line should not be crossed by the camera. This helps to avoid confusion, as one character is usually seen looking from left to right of frame, whilst the other is looking from right to left of screen. This ensures that viewers are aware of each character’s positioning within the setting. The rule can be important when shooting action sequences, but I was interested in how important this rule really is in dialogue scenes.

I began my research by finding scenes in which the line had been deliberately crossed, and attempted to determine why this might have been the case. Most of the scenes I found shared a similar theme of tension and suspense, which had been aided by the crossing of the line. For example, the famous interrogation scene between the Batman and The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) crosses the line multiple times during the dialogue. Whilst this would usually be jarring and slightly confusing for the viewer in a less heated scene, it instead increases the tension between the arch enemies.

A second scene I found which crosses the line came from Donnie Darko (2001). This scene stood out against some of the other examples, as the line cross was used for comedic effect rather than tension. During a conversation between Donnie and Gretchen, we see the characters from one side of the line, before the camera is crossed to the other side, and a man is revealed to have been watching them from a distance.

There has been much discussion surrounding the importance of the line in conversations which depict more than two characters. Most say that if the line is crossed under these circumstances, the scene and the placement of characters within it becomes far too confusing to comprehend for the viewer. A scene from Mad Men does cross the line in a conversation between three people, however, and does not seem too jarring at all. This scene also stood out because  unlike the other two examples described above, there is no obvious reason why the line needed to be crossed, and it is highly likely that it was actually an accident. Nevertheless, this scene ended up being the inspiration for my main shoot, in which I used a similar placement of characters, but infused some tension into the dialogue in order to give the line cross some purpose.

I opted to cut my footage into four different edits, which each explored a different factor that is important to note when crossing the line. The first edit does not blatantly cross the line, whereas the second edit does explicitly break the rule. I do not think that the second version is significantly more uncomfortable or jarring to watch in comparison to the first, so I think that I did successfully cross the line in this edit.

After finishing the first two edits, a couple of factors that contributed to the success of the line cross became apparent, which I had not considered before. Maddy, the actor standing in the middle position, was conveniently wearing a bright red top on the day, whilst the other two actors were in darker colours. I believe this costuming ended up aiding the scene, as it signified where Maddy was in each shot, making the positioning of the other characters easily inferred.

I deliberately used ‘dirty’ shots of the characters, so that it was obvious to the audience that each actor was still in their original positions, and had not moved when the line was eventually crossed. This lead to the realisation that I should try and cut a version that did not include a ‘dirty’ shot. In the third edit, I removed Kate’s (the character in front of the lockers) shoulder from the frame when we see Jess (the third character) after the line is crossed. Although this small change makes the scene slightly more jarring, I do not believe that it become completely disorienting.

I think that the fourth edit is the most unsettling to watch. This version is exactly the same as edit one, except that I made the footage black and white, which eliminated the orienting red of Maddy’s shirt. The colour version of this footage is probably the easiest to follow, yet when the colour is drained from the scene, the cut to Jess seems to become far more uncomfortable. Prior to this edit, I had not considered the value of costuming when crossing the line at all. It has become obvious, however, that it is an extremely important factor that should be noted before endeavouring to break the rule.

My exploration into the significance of the 180 degree rule has revealed to me that the line can indeed be crossed, but there are several factors that should be considered before doing so. Primarily, it seems to be important that the cross serves a purpose, whether it be to enhance the tone of the scene or metaphorically represent the relationship that two characters have with one another.