Continuity editing

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Continuity editing is the process, in film and video creation, of combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence to direct the viewer's attention to a pre-existing consistency of story across both time and physical location.^[1] Often used in feature films, continuity editing, or "cutting to continuity", can be contrasted with approaches such as montage, with which the editor aims to generate, in the mind of the viewer, new associations among the various shots that can then be of entirely different subjects, or at least of subjects less closely related than would be required for the continuity approach. When discussed in reference to classical Hollywood cinema, it may also be referred to as classical continuity.

The primary concept of continuity editing is connection between the director and the audience. On the one hand, the filmmaker wants the audience to focus on elements of the scene that are critical to the film's narrative. On the other hand, viewers must actively seek narrative information on screen to fully understand the film. To achieve this connection, continuity editing relies on a set of practical guidelines—developed through trial and error—known as continuity rules, which align with how audiences naturally perceive time, space, and action on screen.