The 180° Rule refers to the approach to filming that stresses the importance that the camera stays on one side of the action to avoid confusion and to ensure that there is continuity between the objects that are both to the right of the frame and to the left of the frame. This rule can be enforced in a scene with a conversation when an invisible line can be drawn between two people and can switch between the two character’s perspectives, provided it stays on that side of the line throughout the filming process. One technique often used is to cut to the other side of the line to create the illusion of the characters both looking in the same direction rather than one another.

If there wasn’t this rule implemented, then the scene would most likely momentarily confuse the audience as the characters wouldn’t be able to carry out their lines and express the amount of emotion desired for that scene. In most cases this rule should not be broken; however, on some occasions this rule has been rejected to create dramatic effect and to deliberately confuse the audience purposefully. This may have been done to create tension or a sense of mystery surrounding the plot-line and story world, but also may be done just to pan around slowly.

Shot-Reverse-Shot is a continuity editing technique, following the 180° rule, most often used in conversations between two (or sometimes more) characters or sometimes just to emphasise meaningful glances/silence between characters. The 180° rule is used with the Shot-Reverse-Shot technique to preserve the continuity in the scene and to avoid distorting locations, thus not confusing the audience.

The scene would often begin with a Mid Two-Shot of the two people at the start of the conversation; later on the conversation is also often broke up of this shot at some point in the conversation to include a variety of different camera shots and techniques. An Over-The-Shoulder shot would commonly begin this sequence showing the character staring/talking to the subject opposite them. This would then be followed by a reverse angle shot to display the other character staring back at them or giving a verbal response.

Since the characters are facing opposite directions, the audience automatically assumes they are sitting across from one another. This sense of closeness between the two characters are often used to suggest intimacy or an emotional closeness to one another, or possibly to demonstrate tension between two characters in a suspenseful scene.

Match On Action (otherwise known as Cutting On Action) is the technique used in filming and editing to cut between two shots following the same action, but from different perspectives. The first shot will often establish the character carrying out the action from a shot where we can see the whole of the subject such as from a Long – Shot, establishing the character, their actions and surroundings from the start.

However another frequent technique is to do this a different way round such as in the example to the right. In this example, it starts with a Close – Up shot of two hands being joined together. This is effective as it doesn’t reveal much about the two characters and adds to a sense of mystery and intrigue about them and their action. The two corresponding shots enforce continuity effectively and creates a ‘visual bridge’.

Any cutting or continuity issues can be fixed with these two shots, provided that the action is constant in both shots and obeys the 180° rule. It is not a match cut or graphic match in terms of as it portrays a continuous action across both shots rather than matching two separate, unrelated shots.