The Rules

The Rules...
             In film making there are several different 'rules' to follow to create watchable piece of film. Here I will talk about each of the major ones, beginning with the 180-Degree rule.

The 180-Degree Rule
When two characters are talking to each other, there is a rule called the 180-Degree rule which tells us that we should only place the cameras on one side of the conversation. An imaginary axis between the characters is formed and the camera should only remain on one of the two sides of this axis. The reason that we only keep the camera angles on one side is because it gives us a sense of where the characters are relative to each other. If the 180-Degree rule is broken it can result in having adverse affects on the user such as dizziness and in extreme cases nausea. This, often called 'Reverse Cut', disorients the audience by presenting an opposing view of the action in a scene and consequently alters the perspective of the action and the spatial orientation established in the original shot However, sometimes this rule can be deliberately broken be the director to create these effects on the audience. It is often broken to show that the protagonist is dazed or disoriented. Breaking this rule is called 'Jumping/Crossing the Line'

The 30-Degree Rule
The 30-Degree rule is the rule that the camera should move at least 30° between shots of the same object. The idea is that this rule differentiates the shots enough so that there seems to be a reason for the shot to exist. If two shots don't follow this rule it can cause one of the shots to feel pointless and for their to be no reason that it should be there. However this also be broken to create several jump cuts around a single object, this could be for plot reasons as well as to try and focus on the object. Drawing importance to it. However, personally I feel that the same effect could be created by just a long lasting shot focusing on the same object.

Match on Action
Match on Action, Match on or Cutting on Action are all terms for the same idea. That idea is that a scene would keep flowing even when then the shot changes. For example, if these is a shot of someone drinking some water and the shot changes, the same character should still be drinking water in the next shot. This is all part of  a wider subject called 'Continuity'.

Eye Line Match
This is a simple rule used when two characters are talking. The technique is the premise that the audience want to see what the character onscreen is seeing. For example, a man is looking off-screen to his left, and then the film cuts to a television that he is watching. Another way that it is used is when two characters are speaking and they are at different heights. When the shot is from behind the head of the taller character it would be looking down on the shorter character, and vice versa. Conveying the difference in heights.

Continuity
Continuity is very important in film making because it makes the piece believable and more realistic. If continuity is broken it instantly breaks the immersion of the film, and takes the audience out of it. Whereas we want the audience to be absorbed in the film. There can be major errors in continuity, such as in one shot a character wearing a red shirt and wearing a yellow one in the next., or minor ones that are harder to notice on film, such as a change of jewelry between shots or a slight growth in facial hair on a male character. There are several things that must be followed to ensure that continuity is achieved. Simply, the scene must flow naturally with no noticeable differences between shots. This makes the scene realistic and believable.

These rules are essential in film making to know for me. I will use them to help guide me on how to frame each of the scenes and also knowing what not to do. Hopefully this will mean i will avoid any confusing or disorienting camera shots.