What is the Rule of Thirds, and Can I Break It?

You may not know what the Rule of Thirds is, but you see it in action every day.

It’s a shot composition technique that was borrowed from our friends in the world of photography. It essentially divides the shot into thirds vertically and horizontally.

The Rule of Thirds is considered the basis for a balanced and interesting shot. By placing points of interest in the intersections or along the lines, the viewer is able to interact with the shot more naturally.

It is well established that when viewing an image, people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points rather than to the center of the shot. Using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.

This framing adheres to the Rule of Thirds:

While this one doesn’t:

There are indeed times when it makes sense to violate the rule, particularly when the shot is intended be unorthodox, artistic, humorous or just plain odd. But unless you’re trying to draw attention to the framing, you’re best advised to follow it.

This recent video we did uses the Rule of Thirds in some interesting ways:

So don’t be a rule breaker. Unless you wanna be a rebel.

P.S. Have a question about video? Let me know and I’ll try to answer it in a future post.