Continuity and Staging
Screen direction and the 180-degree rule
Draw an imaginary axis line between two characters, or along a character's path. Keep the camera on one side of that line for the whole scene. Cross it and the characters appear to swap sides, confusing the viewer. If you must cross, show a neutral shot on the line first.
Related rules
- 30-degree rule: change the camera angle by at least 30 degrees between consecutive shots of the same subject, or the cut reads as a jump.
- Eyeline match: if A looks right in one panel, B must look left in the next.
- Match on action: cut mid-movement so the action carries across the cut.
- Continuity of props, costume, light and time: once a glass is empty, it stays empty.
Staging and blocking
Plan where bodies sit in the frame and how they move. Entrances and exits should keep a consistent direction so the audience builds a mental map of the room.
Worked example
Two men talk across a table. Panel 1: A on the left, looking right. Panel 3: B on the right, looking left. A student draws panel 3 with B on the left, so both men now look the same way and the conversation reads as two separate rooms. Fix: return to the correct side of the axis, or insert a neutral shot on the line before crossing.
Traps that cost marks
- Crossing the axis for a 'more interesting' angle without a neutral insert.
- Changing the light direction between reverse angles.
- Jump cuts from camera moves of less than 30 degrees.
- Props that shift position between panels of the same shot.
- Ignoring screen direction when a character exits and re-enters.