Rules of Film making (the ones to break for Music video!)

Here's just a few of the rules that set out for film makers in order for the editng not to be noticeable in a scene, and are also to ensure that the audience do not get confused by narrative etc. However with music video's, both of these points are irrelevant due to how the format serves a very different purpose. These are just a few of the rules that I reminded myself of from Amy Villarejo's 'Film Studies The Basics'.

180 degree rule - Belongs to the system of continuity editing, the rule that establishes the axis of action, a line running perpendicular to the camera, such that the camera is understood to have to stay on the same side of this line for each of the subsequent shots, preserving screen direction.

30 degree rule - Also to ensure continuity, the rule that one should vary camera angle shot to shot by at least 30 degrees to avoid jump cuts (figures appear to jump in the frame)

Eyeline Matches - Form of continuity editing which would join a first shot of a character looking offscreen to something else he is meant to see in the second shot.

Here's a scene from a classical Hollywood style film, Casablanca which uses these devices in order to create a cohesive and linear narrative structure.