ABSTRACT
The first dramatic films were rendered as if through a proscenium. The camera was placed in position, and all the action in the scene took place within that camera frame. The reason for putting the audience into the scene is that it makes the story more interesting—more dramatic. When film became a series of connected shots, a language was born. Film language has only four basic grammatical rules, three of which are concerned with spatial orientation as a result of moving the audience into the action. The fourth also deals with space but for a different reason. All of these rules must be followed most of the time, but all can be broken for dramatic effect. The 180-degree rule deals with any framed spatial relationship between a character and another character or object. It is used to maintain consistent screen direction between the characters, or a character and an object, within the established space.
