Okuzeka
Film & Television vocabulary · Shots and Camera Movements

180-degree rule

Meaning in film & television, with examples

nounCommon term

In film & television, 180-degree rule means: A filming guideline that keeps cameras on one side of an action line so screen positions remain clear.

In Turkish: 180 derece kuralı

How it is used

Used in continuity planning; crossing the line can reverse apparent screen positions.

Example sentences

  1. Following the 180-degree rule kept the detective on the left in every angle.

    Stable screen positions help viewers follow the conversation.

  2. The director broke the 180-degree rule to make the argument feel disorienting.

    The spatial confusion is an intentional expressive choice.

Common collocations

  • follow the 180-degree rule
  • break the 180-degree rule
  • shotOne continuous piece of film recorded from the moment the camera starts until it stops, or the piece of it that appears between two cuts.
  • cinematographerThe head of the camera and lighting departments, who decides with the director how the film will look: framing, lenses, camera movement and light.

More terms: Shots and Camera Movements

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: