Shot Reverse Shot - Conventional technique of cinematography and editing for the filming of dialogue. In the classic shot/reverse shot sequence, the camera frames each speaker (usually 2-4) in medium close-up as he or she recites a line of dialogue. The shoulder or profile of the listener can often be seen, slightly out of focus on the edge of the frame, while the camera is focused on the face of the speaker.

Point-of-View

Shot/Reverse Shot allows the spectator ("you") to occupy the listener's point of view. However, because both characters alternate between speaking and listening, the spectator is omniscient, an outside observer. There is visual logic in this design: character A speaks in frame - cut - character B speaks in frame.

The Affect of Speech

Directors may also use Shot/Reverse Shot to observe the way in which a speaker's words affect the listener. To accomplish this, the camera will first alternate between speakers. If, for instance, one speaker communicates a negative statement ("Our relationship is over"), the camera will turn to frame the listener, not the speaker. As the speaker talks, the listener visually responds through (perhaps) tears, frowns, or more subtle variations. http://cinemaspace.berkeley.edu/Papers/CityOfSadness/axes.gif


The rule of Thirds - This is not necessarily a rule, as much as it is a suggestion that tends to add more tension, energy, and interest into your photo. It works like this: when you look through your viewfinder, divide the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. We call the points where the lines cross The Sweet Spots. When we look at a big blank area, our eyes do not automatically focus on the very center of the image. Instead, our eyes naturally drift toward one of these points.






Match on Action - A cut which splices two different views of the same action together at the same moment in the movement, making it seem to continue uninterrupted. Quite logically, these characteristics make it one of the most common transitions in the continuity style. A match on action adds variety and dinamism to a scene, since it conveys two movements: the one that actually takes place on screen, and an implied one by the viewer, since her/his position is shifted.


The 180 degree rule - This is when the camera has to stay on one side of a make believe line which is perpendicular to the view point of the camera from which the shot is taken. Two objects or people should always move or face the same way to avoid confusing the viewer.

I found this information and diagram (below) on the internet and thought it would be relevant.

This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen.