The 180-degree rule

The 180-degree rule of filmmaking is the idea that two characters (or more depending on how many are in the scene) should continually have the same left to right orientation to each other. The rule expects an invisible line to be drawn between the two subjects at least and that the camera should always stay on one side of this 180-degree line

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There are circumstances however where this rule can be deliberately broken however this would need to be for a reason or have some hidden meaning in the film. As the use of the 180 rule is to keep the orientation and therefore not confuse the watching audience, when the rule is broken it must be a deliberate excuse to change this, for example like in the shining - in this film Stanley Kubrick takes advantage of this to resemble when jack has each of his breakdowns. These scenes are a deliberate excuse to break the rule and therefore add meaning to what would normally seem like a nothing orientation swap.