CC Flickr user Melanye

Roger Ebert presents moviegoer’s with a new way to view movies in his article for the Chicago Sun Times. Ebert offers various rules of thumb through which to view movies and appreciate its directing.

• ideal placement is right of center
• person on right is dominant over person on left
• person in center is objectified
• movement to the right is favorable and to the left is not
• future is on the right, past on left
• top is dominant over bottom
• high angle shots make characters into pawns, low angle make them gods

He emphasizes that these rules are not absolute but usually hold true. I have been a big movie fan all of my life however have never really appreciated the art of directing. This article makes me want to watch more movies and pay attention to these rules to see if they stand true. Now that I know some of the intricacies of constructing a scene I will definitely be more watchful of good directing in the future.