Shot from opposite side — typically cut after initial angle. Standard for dialogue, eyeline, spatial continuity.
You're shooting a dialogue scene, the first shot is set — Actor A is speaking, camera from the left. Now you need the reverse angle shot. This isn't just about putting the camera on the other side. The reverse angle shot is a deliberate camera placement on the opposite side of the imaginary line between the characters, to create spatial continuity and establish one actor's gaze onto the other. In editing, it works like ping-pong: you see A speaking, then you cut to B, who is listening or responding. The audience immediately orient themselves spatially, even if no establishing shot preceded it.
The classic application is the dialogue cut — two cameras, two angles, alternating. But reverse angle shot doesn't automatically mean exactly 180 degrees. On set, we work with a tolerance zone of about 160 to 180 degrees. If you go too close past that, the geometry jumps and confuses the viewer. The eyeline is crucial: if Actor A looks to the upper right, the reverse angle camera must be positioned so that B appears from the upper left of the frame — otherwise, the eyeline breaks. In editing, this is called eyeline match. Without it, no performance, however good, will fit together.
In practice, there are variations. The over-the-shoulder shot — with Actor A's shoulder in the foreground and B behind them — is technically also a reverse angle shot, just with a play on depth of field. Or you can do a true reverse, where you literally turn the camera around and reposition it from exactly 180 degrees. For action, you often need multiple reverse angle shots — from different heights, different distances — so you can build spatial tension in the edit, not just a monotonous back-and-forth.
Important: You shoot the reverse angle shot after the original shot. Why? Because lighting, gaze direction, facial expressions, and body posture must be consistent. You sit at the monitor and observe exactly where the actor is looking, where their body is positioned. Then you position the second camera accordingly — don't guess beforehand. Some DPs use a placeholder or hold up a tablet at eye level so the actor on the other side has something concrete to look at, instead of staring into space. This makes the match in the edit much cleaner later on.