Breaking the fourth wall

The term comes from theatre. A simple one-room set on a stage has the back wall and the two side walls. The "fourth wall" is the wall that isn't there, so you in the audience can look into the room. In an ordinary play, the action on the stage never seems to be aware of what happens "behind the fourth wall". In other words, while the play is going on, the actors behave as if the audience isn't there.

Sometimes, an actor on the stage connects directly with the audience. This is called "breaking the fourth wall." It can be a mistake, such as when the actor is visibly startled by a cough in the audience. Or, it can be intentional, such as when an actor on stage walks away from the action and starts narrating for the audience.

Examples of "breaking the fourth wall": 

“Annie Hall”A classic breaking of the fourth wall comes from Woody Allen’s classic romantic comedy, “Annie Hall.” Allen’s Alvy Singer often breaks the fourth wall to comment on details of his relationship with Diane Keaton’s titular character. With the film earning four Oscars, maybe the fourth wall was meant to be broken?

“American Psycho”Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) is always breaking the fourth wall in the 2000 film “American Psycho” via his inner-thoughts, to give the audience a peak into his brain, and help understand his maniacal character.

Breaking the fourth wall is something I am considering in my own coursework because I feel like it engages the audience. As I want to do a horror or shocking drama I feel like having the bad person look into the camera will make the audience feel scared, as if they will be able to put themselves in the shoes of the scared person which will engage the audience and make the video more dramatic.