180 degree rule and when it's been broken

The 180 Degree Rule states that two characters in a scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If you don't follow the 180 Degree Rule, or break it intentionally, it disrupts the scene disorients the audience. When you break the 180 line, a person who was originally facing left in a scene is all of the sudden facing right.The 180 degree rule is if you can imagine an actor walking or running in a direction then you can picture the path they are following as a line. If two actors are talking to each other then draw a line to connect the two places where they are standing and extend the line in each direction to the edges of the set. Even if there are many actors in the scene you can still draw a line connecting the two opposing sides of the action.

Stanley Kubrick and other directors have become known for breaking the 180 degree rule. Sometimes seemingly to add interest to a scene but there are other creative uses for breaking the 180 degree rule. Such uses include if the director wants to create a feeling of disorientation in the audience to enhance the storytelling. Another use could be to show confusion in the mind of one of the characters. Jumping back and forth across the line while the character contemplates a difficult decision would demonstrate his mental state. in "The Shining" Kubrick shoots wide shots from both directions, a 180 degree flip, crossing the line but he picks a screen direction to match close-ups on.

Another example could be a car chase; if a vehicle leaves the right side of the frame in one shot, it should enter from the left side of the frame in the next shot. Leaving from the right and entering from the right will create a similar sense of disorientation as in the dialogue example.