30-degree rule

The 30° rule is a basic film editing guideline that states the camera should move at least 30° between shots of the same subject. This change of perspective makes the shots different enough to avoid a jump cut. Too much movement around the subject may violate the 180° rule.

As Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White suggest in The Film Experience, "The rule aims to emphasize the motivation for the cut by giving a substantially different view of the action. The transition between two shots less than 30 degrees apart might be perceived as unnecessary or discontinuous-- in short, visible." (2004, 130)

Following this rule may soften the effect of changing shot distance, such as changing from a medium shot to a close-up.

This sequence, 15 minutes (5:43) into Rose Hobart (1936), suggests a violation of the '30° rule' [1]

Some consider this rule to be outdated. The axial cut is a striking violation of this rule to obtain a certain effect.