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180 degree rule

The 180 rule is a basic film editing guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in
the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera
passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new
shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

Examples
In the example of a dialogue, if Ted is on the left and Bob is on the right, then Ted should be facing
right at all times, even when Bob is off the edge of the frame, and Bob should always be facing
left. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that Bob is now on the left side and Ted
is on the right, will disorient the viewer, and break the flow of the scene.
In the example of an action scene, such as a car chase, if a vehicle leaves the right side of the frame
in one shot, it should enter from the left side of the frame in the next shot. Leaving from the right
and entering from the right will create a similar sense of disorientation as in the dialogue example.
An excellent example of sustained use of the 180 degree rule occurs throughout much of The Big
Parade, a drama about World War One directed by King Vidor. In the sequences leading up to the
battle scenes, the American forces (arriving from the west) are always shown marching from left
to right across the screen, while the German troops (arriving from the east) are always shown
marching from right to left. After the battle scenes, when the weary troops are staggering
homeward, the Americans are always shown crossing the screen from right to left (moving west)
and the Germans from left to right (moving east). The audience's viewpoint is therefore always
from a consistent position, in this case southward of the action. Some directors do cross the line
for dramatic effect.

Problems caused and solutions


Avoiding crossing the line is a problem that those learning filmcraft can struggle with. In the above
example with the car chase, a possible solution is to begin the second cut with the car driving into
frame from the "wrong" side. Although this may be wrong in the geographic sense on set, it looks
more natural to the viewer. Another possibility is to insert a "buffer shot" of the subject head-on
(or from behind) to help the viewer understand the camera movement.

Style
In professional productions, the 180 rule is an essential element of a style of film editing called
continuity editing. The rule is not always obeyed. Sometimes a filmmaker will purposely break
the line of action in order to create disorientation. Stanley Kubrick was known to do this. The
Wachowski Brothers and directors Tinto Brass, Yasujiro Ozu, Wong Kar-Wai and Jacques Tati

sometimes ignored this rule also. The British TV presenters Ant & Dec extend this continuity to
almost all their appearances, with Ant almost always on the left and Dec on the right.
Some filmmakers state that the fictional axis created by this rule can be used to plan the emotional
strength of a scene. The closer you place the camera to the axis, the more emotionally involved
the audience will be.
In the Japanese animated picture Paprika, two of the main characters discuss crossing the line and
demonstrate the disorienting effect of actually performing the action.

Use in TV Sports
Sporting events that are covered with several cameras often use cameras on the other side of the
line in order to obtain an optimal view of an incident that is blocked by the main shots. In order to
prevent confusion, reverse angle shots are used sparingly and with some kind of graphic (e.g.
"REVERSE ANGLE" on screen) to explain the change of viewpoint.
OVERLAPPING EDITING
Cuts that repeat part or all of an action, thus expanding its viewing time and plot duration. Most
commonly associated with experimental filmmaking, due to its temporally disconcerting and
purely graphic nature, it is also featured in films in which action and movement take precedence
over plot and dialogue: sports documentaries, musicals, martial arts, etc. Overlapping editing is a
common characteristic of the frenzied Hong Kong action films of the 80s and 90s. When director
John Woo moved to Hollywood, he tried to incorporate some of that style into mainstream action
films, such as Mission: Impossible 2 (2000).

Mise-en-Scne
The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing actors, lighting, dcor, props, costume
is called mise-en-scne (a French term that means placing on stage). The frame and camerawork
also constitute the mise-en-scne of a movie.

The Film Scholar's Insight


From the craftsman that builds fake bookcases to the cinematographer that chooses where the
lights will go, the mise-en-scne is the result of the collaboration of many professionals. Thus in
the production environment, the director is more specific with his requests and orders. Is he trying
to talk to the prop master, the set designer, the actors, the make-up artists? All of them are part of
different departments. But all of them, in the end, have influence in the mise-en-scne.
In the academic realm, the term mise-en-scne is always invoked when the overall look and feel
of a movie is under discussion.

Even though many professionals are involved in its creation, the director is the one that oversees
the entire mise-en-scne and all of its elements. Not just that, but during the early stages of preproduction, the director or his AD sits down with set designers, prop masters, location managers,
costume designers, and scenic artists to determine the look and feel intended.
In some instances, the mise-en- scne is used to evoke lasting feelings throughout the movie and
not just for selected scenes. In the German expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920),
distorted shapes and claustrophobic scenery is implemented to disturb the audience and enhance
the horror.
Mike Nichols The Graduate (1967) has been praised by its amazing, exciting, and multi-layered
visual design. For this reason, the following segments will shed light on many scenes from The
Graduate but also from other pictures.

Dcor: Dcor refers to the decoration or decorative styles, comprising mainly of the set and props
used in a movie. Instead of just dressing the set, the director must be savvy to fathom how objects
may bear significance in a deeper level, while also emphasizing themes, creating meanings, and
provoking thoughts.
An early scene from The Graduate (1967) opens with a close-up of Benjamin Braddock (Dustin
Hoffman) alone on his bed. Behind him is a fish tank, which may symbolically represent Bens
entrapment in a life that he doesnt want. Later in the movie, Ben finds himself at the bottom of a
swimming pool, thus further elaborating on that concept.
In Rear Window (1954), an enlarged photograph placed in the living room offers exposition on the
accident that rendered L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) handicap: rear window photograph exposition
racing accident

Lighting: Unarguably one of the film elements that has the greatest power to evoke emotions,
lighting must be manipulated by the director to accommodate his or her desires for the movie. The
two broad types of lighting approaches are: low-key lighting and high-key lighting.
High-key lighting is often seen in romantic comedies and musicals, encompassing an even lighting
pattern and avoiding dark areas in the frame. Everything looks bright with little to no shadow at
all. High-key lighting has little dramatic effect, and it is often used in a scene with no tension.
Low-key lighting is often seen in horror movies and thrillers, comprising of a lighting pattern that
has both bright and dark areas in the frame. The chiaroscuro (Italian: bright-dark) technique, long
used by painters, is characterized by strong contrast, often employed to unnerve the audience.
Note that this terminology is counterintuitive as low-key lighting is high contrast and high-key
lighting is low contrast.

Costume: The obvious purpose of costuming is to dress an actor according to his character.
Lawyers wear suits, nurses wear scrubs, and a drifter could wear worn out shoes, ragged shirt, and
baggy pants.
But, more than that, costuming can also be used to establish someones hierarchic level.
Regimentals, for instance, bear the status of the person who wears it. And even the color may
distinguish an enemy from a friend. In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), a comic situation
arises when Blondie (Clint Eastwood) heads toward the enemy cavalry that was covered in dust.
When the enemy general slaps his gloves on his sleeve, his apparently gray uniform changes to
blue.
Costuming may also be used to emphasize a theme. In the first scene at the Taft Hotel in The
Graduate, Mrs. Robinson wears a fur coat that makes her look like a predator hunting for her pray.
Her coat bears a pattern that resembles the fur of a cheetah. Or could it be a cougar?
Mrs. Robison as a cougar in The Graduate

Location: In Witness (1985), on the day after declining Rachels (Kelly McGillis) seduction, John
Book (Harrison Ford) explains to her why nothing could have happened between them the night
before. Quiet conveniently, the confrontation takes place in a barn, while Rachel is collecting eggs.
The location emphasizes Rachels responsibilities as a woman. If they had made love and Rachel
gotten pregnant, she would have to carry the baby and eventually give birth. Also, during the
conversation, John stands outside the barn, thus being separated from Rachel by the barns door.
In this case, the door functions as a metaphor of the social and cultural barriers that keeps them a
part.
The final confrontation in The Graduate takes place in a church. Ben tries to prevent Elaine
(Katherine Ross) from getting married, but he arrives too late. Nonetheless, when Elaine sees him,
she runs to him, and they run away. When the couple is cornered by infuriated parents and relatives,
Ben starts swinging a cross to avoid them. Stepping out, Ben uses the cross to hold the churchs
doors shut.
The prop (cross) and location (church) impose a comment on religious institutions, perhaps
implying that Elaines parents are trapped by traditional believes and practices.

Filter
In photography and videography, a filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that
can be inserted into the optical path. The filter can be of a square or oblong shape and mounted in
a holder accessory, or, more commonly, a glass or plastic disk in a metal or plastic ring frame,
which can be screwed into the front of or clipped onto the camera lens.
Filters modify the images recorded. Sometimes they are used to make only subtle changes to
images; other times the image would simply not be possible without them. In monochrome
photography coloured filters affect the relative brightness of different colours; red lipstick may be

rendered as anything from almost white to almost black with different filters. Others change the
colour balance of images, so that photographs under incandescent lighting show colours as they
are perceived, rather than with a reddish tinge. There are filters that distort the image in a desired
way, diffusing an otherwise sharp image, adding a starry effect, etc. Supplementary close-up lenses
may be classified as filters. Linear and circular polarising filters reduce oblique reflections from
non-metallic surfaces.
Many filters absorb part of the light available, necessitating longer exposure. As the filter is in the
optical path, any imperfectionsnon-flat or non-parallel surfaces, reflections (minimised by
optical coating), scratches, dirtaffect the image.

Types of Filters present:


Polarizer
A polarizing filter, used for both color and black-and-white photography, is colourless and does
not affect colour balance, but filters out light with a particular direction of polarisation. This
reduces oblique reflections from non-metallic surfaces, can darken the sky in colour photography
(in monochrome photography colour filters are more effective), and can saturate the image more
by eliminating unwanted reflections.
Linear polarising filters, while effective, can interfere with metering and auto-focus mechanisms
when mirrors or beam-splitters are in the light path, as in the digital single lens reflex camera; a
circular polarizer is also effective, and does not affect metering or auto-focus.[12]

Neutral density
A neutral density filter (ND filter) is a filter of uniform density which attenuates light of all colors
equally. It is used to allow a longer exposure (to create blur) or larger aperture (for selective focus)
than otherwise required for correct exposure in the prevailing light conditions, without changing
the tonal balance of the photograph.
A graduated neutral density filter is a neutral density filter with different attenuation at different
points, typically clear in one half shading into a higher density in the other. It can be used, for
example, to photograph a scene with part in deep shadow and part brightly lit, where otherwise
either the shadows would have no detail or the highlights would be burnt out.

Cross screen
A cross screen filter, also known as a star filter, creates a star pattern, in which lines radiate outward
from bright objects. The star pattern is generated by a very fine diffraction grating embedded in
the filter, or sometimes by the use of prisms in the filter. The number of stars varies by the
construction of the filter, as does the number of points each star has.

Diffusion
The bottom left image has a diffusion filter applied to the original image (shown in the top left).
The top right is a cross screen effect.
A diffusion filter (also called a softening filter) softens subjects and generates a dreamy haze (see
photon diffusion). This is most often used for portraits. It also has the effect of reducing contrast,
and the filters are designed, labeled, sold, and used for that purpose too. There are many ways of
accomplishing this effect, and thus filters from different manufacturers vary significantly. The two
primary approaches are to use some form of grid or netting in the filter, or to use something which
is transparent but not optically sharp.

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