Why Lateral Motion Matters

     Humans interpret things with instinct and logic. The slightest change in somthing can completely change thier feelings on a subject.
     When watching a film we don't really pay attention to what direction people and objects are moving, but our brains are paying attention. Why do we enjoy watching things moving left to right, and are dissatisfied with things moving right to left? Studies say that is because we read from left to right and view almost everything in that manner. We associate left to right with progress and moving towards a goal. Moving from right to left we see opposition and just an unnapealling feeling. This is similar to how we see characters portrayed in film through different angles. Whereas low angles establish dominance and high angles establish fear.
     When I work I noticed how when making a safe feeling scene all the characters move to the left, but when I want to show anger or fear I make things move right to left. It allways felt very natural doing it that way, and this article definitely shed some light onto why I plan my shots like that.