Continuity

A seamless edit is a process which involves having no visual, audio or narrative mistakes.

The job of the editor is to tell the story.

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/learntvnews/continuityediting Accessed on: 19/09/2012
Source: https://film110.pbworks.com/w/page/12610182/Continuity%C2%A0Editing Accessed on: 19/09/2012

Continuity Editing - A style of editing that requires the director to try to make the film a reality. This means trying to recreate what the world around us is and trying to make it easier for the audience to understand the action that's happening on screen. Within this style of editing there are many terms or ways of implementing the style. These effects can be used independently of each other to create desired effects. From the root word continue, continuing what came before. It's the typical editing style of most films and TV shows. It's primary purpose is the clarification of events, designed to tell a story clearly and coherently. The goal is to create a smooth flow from shot to shot. 'invisible' it doesn't call attention to itself or remind the viewer that they are watching a film. The audience construct a 'mental map' based on what they see and hear. Continuity editing helps the audience to maintain this 'mental map'.

Common continuity editing shots -
Establishing shot: usually a distance-framed shot that establishes the spatial relations among important figures, objects, and setting in a scene.
Cut-in: instant shift from distant framing to a closer view of some portion of the same space.
Shot/reverse shot: two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation. 

Creating pace - slow motion allows a break in the action to keep the audience interested. The shot length creates a pace; long shots = slow pace; short shots = quick pace. The type of music that's used also creates a pace and tells the audience how to feel. Slow music slows down the pace and allows the audience to relax and take a break from the action. A faster beat speeds up the pace and gets the audience excited.
Shot selection - the shots can be given from a character's point of view to include the audience and make then feel like they're a part of the story.