Freekstorm VFX Blog

For new filmmakers, the first rule of camera blocking is “Never cross the line.”
But what exactly is “the line?” Your clueless producer sought clarification from the aforementioned filmmaker, and he was kind enough to assist with a little example.

At any particular instance the line is the to-and-fro between the current active characters. So yes, the line is about camera angles, but it’s fundamentally much more than that.



Have a look at the example above. When these two characters are talking, there is an invisible line which exists between them. This imaginary line gives visual continuity. If the camera moves across the line it causes the spatial relationship between the characters to change, which is very confusing for the viewer because it interrupts the visual flow and leads to viewer disorientation.

To use a simple example, if a character is on the right then they should STAY on the right through the different camera moves and despite different camera shots. If the character suddenly moves to the left, the viewer would then lose the relationship of where the characters are supposed to be, and would have to pause and mentally reset the line between the two characters before continuing with the movie. This basic error would prove to be very annoying for the viewer and must be avoided at all costs.

Crossing the line is therefore a huge faux-pas and is the mark of an amateur filmmaker It’s bad enough when this rule is broken with two characters, but the problem is compounded when you add more because the line shifts around constantly as the interchange between the characters also changes. It takes a skilled cameraman to figure out where to position the cameras, so that the line is not crossed at any point in the film.

If all this sounds horribly confusing (as it did for me) don’t panic! You have a way round this conundrum: Previs is your friend. Because you have extensively planned the character positions and camera angles before beginning shooting, you can eliminate this sort of basic mistake and concentrate on the rest of the movie. As the saying goes, “It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

Labels: filmmaking