Camera Placement · Coverage

The Triangle System

A dialogue scene needs a plan for where the camera goes. The triangle system gives you every shot you need from positions on one side of the line. Click through the setups, then cut them together on the timeline and see for yourself: any order works.

Interactive: tap a camera on the plan to select it, then drag it along the triangle, or jump between setups with the buttons
Subject 1 Subject 2

Tap a camera on the plan or a button above to select it. Drag it and it stays locked to the triangle, because every legitimate setup is a point on it.

Cut it together
The edit test
Tap shots to add them to the timeline, then press play or scrub. In every clip, Subject 1 faces right and Subject 2 faces left: any shot cuts with any other, in any order.
Your edit plays here. Tap shots below to add clips.
Tap shots above to build your edit
Remove a clip by tapping it on the timeline. Each clip has a gentle push-in so cuts read clearly when you scrub.
Why it is called the triangle

Your two wing cameras and your master form a triangle: the base runs parallel to the line of action, the apex sits back at the master. Every setup is a point on it, and because all three corners share one side of the line, any shot cuts with any other, in any order. The timeline above shows it.

The five shot types
Master

Master two-shot

Shot from the apex of the triangle. Both subjects in one frame. It establishes the geography every other shot depends on.

Singles

Angular singles

Taken from the base corners. One subject per frame at a three-quarter angle, framed with lead room. These are the shots you intercut through the dialogue.

OTS

Over-the-shoulder

Slide along the base and drop to shoulder height. The near subject becomes a solid mass at the frame edge; the far subject sits clear beyond. Grounds both people in one space.

POV

Point-of-view close-ups

Push a base camera just inside the subject's eyeline and shoot the other from their point of view. The most subjective single. Save it for peak emotional moments.

Profile

Profile shots

Sit square to a subject's eyeline, on either side of the triangle. A pure side view with strong graphic quality. Frame off-centre with lead room, never dead centre.

The rule

Any shot cuts with any other

All three corners sit on the same side of the line, so every shot shares one screen direction.

Common mistakes
Mistake

Skipping the master

If the singles refuse to cut together, the master is your escape. It costs one setup. Never skip it.

Mistake

All singles, no OTS

A scene cut entirely from tight singles feels floaty, with each character in a separate void. OTS shots ground them in shared space.

Mistake

Drifting over the line

All positions must stay on one side of the line between the subjects. Drift across and screen direction flips mid-scene. That is the 180-degree rule.