Imagine a woman and a man in conversation. The woman is sat on the left-hand side of the screen, facing the man on the right-hand side. Imagine a straight line going through both of their heads and continuing either side forever.
The 180° rule states that this imaginary line should not be crossed in any of your shots. If it is, the on-screen positions of the woman and man will be switched, so that the man is on the left-hand side, looking right. For the viewer, who now isn’t sure which subject is where in relation to the other, this is both confusing and distracting.
This same rule applies to objects, and particularly to how people relate to them in a scene. If a woman is walking towards a tree and you cross the line, she’ll flip positions on screen so it looks to a viewer like she’s walking the other way.
If you do have to cross the line for any reason, try to take a shot where you’re on the line filming the person or subject directly so that you can use it as a transitional shot.
As with all rules, this one can be broken – crossing the line creates unease and tension for the viewer, which might be the effect you’re going for – but you should make sure that you’re doing it on purpose.
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