What is the term for when the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting two subjects?

• A. Jump cut
• B. Crossing the line
• C. Shot reverse shot
• D. Cutaway

Answer: (B)

Understanding the axis of action and the 180-degree rule. The invisible axis runs through the space between two subjects; when the camera moves across that axis, the relative left-right relationships on screen reverse and the audience can lose track of where each person is in the scene. This action is called crossing the line. The point of staying on one side of the axis is to keep eyelines and spatial relationships consistent for clarity. Jump cuts interrupt continuity in time or space and aren’t about crossing an axis. Shot reverse shot is a dialogue pattern that alternates shots between characters while typically preserving the axis. A cutaway simply cuts away to something else to provide context or reaction. So the term described here is crossing the line.