Studio Lesson 2: 'Sequences and 180 degree rule'

Yesterday, we went into the studio and learned about the 180 degree rule and started a project on two different sequences.

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule is a rule used all the time during film and is very important to understand as a film maker. An imaginary line (axis) sets up the boundaries for the rule, when filming a sequence with cut shots, it basically instructs the camera operator and cinematographer to stay on only one side of the line (axis) when filming all of those shots. This prevents flipping the shot as it makes the film more confusing.

Although some films do use the 180 degree rule to make the film different in terms of cinematography.

In The Shinning, Stanley Kubrick shoots wide shots from both directions, a 180-degree flip, crossing the line

Sequencing 

We learnt about sequencing and stated shooting our own sequences. We also applied the 180 degree rule to the film. Our film was very simple basically consisted of long shots, medium shots and close-up shots. The actual content of the film was just an actor picking up a toy motorbike, looking at it and then putting it back down. The second sequence that we filmed was slightly more complicated, we included to actors in the frame and we played around with more shots (over the shoulder shots) and angles. Although we didn't have much time to do this, we attempted to white balance the shots.