When watching film as a viewer, it does not occur that there are many things within the creation of a film that tae place in order for the image to flow in a progressive manner. Things such as continuity editing and the 180-degree shot are elements of film that may be specifically noticed or appreciated until they are focused on. When watching a film, continuity is crucial in creating a seamlessly flowing picture, assisted by the 180-degree rule. When this is turned on its head, audiences may feel uncomfortable or thrown off, as the filmmakers begin to project something out of the ordinary, turning the ‘rules’ on their heads and bringing a sense of variation to their work. Across the board, the 180-degree rule is used for audiences to understand what is happening within a shot, where things are placed, where the actors may be and their placement in regards to their surroundings. Evident in the forest scene in Donnie Darko, audiences feel comfortable as the camera looks at the two characters conversing in a medium shot. If the 180-degree rule was not in place here, if the camera had turned so the characters were on opposite sides of the frame, what would have happened? Audiences would feel confused, frazzled, uncomfortable with the fact that the new shot somewhat ‘interrupts’ the previous, changing their knowledge of the placement and situation of things within the world of the film. Filmmakers digress from this rule when they want to create this said state for the viewers to be within, changing their mode of understanding into something more complicated to be comprehended.
REFERENCE:
Donnie Darko (2001) Directed by Richard Kelly [Film]. USA: Pandora Cinema