There are certain aspects of filmmaking that we take for granted: Some are just expectations—a movie that starts off as a crime drama typically won’t suddenly turn into a horror movie halfway in—while others are actual rules, like the 180-degree rule, which keeps the camera on one side of a scene’s action. CineFix’s newest Top 10 video countdown celebrates the renegade filmmakers who flouted these conventions and instead took risks with nonclassical editing, nonlinear plots, and bizarre visuals.
Among those honored are Alfred Hitchcock, who makes the list for breaking the rule that you can’t kill off the protagonist before the final act (a twist that was much more shocking in a pre–George R. R. Martin era) and Jean-Luc Godard, who flaunts the artifice of editing where most try to disguise it. But their top pick is a tough call between some of the most rebellious directors of all time.
