Sequencing refers to the identification of the components of a story — the beginning, middle, and end — and also to the ability to retell the events within a given text in the order in which they occurred. The ability to sequence events in a text is a key comprehension strategy, especially for narrative texts. 

Continuity Editing 

The purpose of continuity editing is to create the illusion of smooth continuous action and helps to keep the audiences' attention to the story. The viewer will not notice the transition between shots. Non-continuity editing is when shots are mismatched to disrupt the impression of time and space 

Continuity editing is the process in film and video creation where you combine related shots, or different components of a single shot, into a sequence which directs the audience's attention to the consistency of story across time and location. 

That was wordy, but the general idea is that we ground the viewer in time and space. 

This kind of editing needs to be invisible. It should feel seamless and allow an editor or director to keep the audience's attention. 

Non-Continuity editing

Discontinuous editing is an editing style that is the opposite of classical editing. In a discontinuous sequence, the filmmaker will deliberately use an arrangement of shots that seem out of place or confusing relative to a traditional narrative. There's no smooth or logical flow to the shots as they are edited together. This can seem disorienting or ambiguous, but it is used to demand participation on the part of the audience to engage in the intention of the plot.

The most famous discontinuity scene is when Colonel Kurtz is stalked and killed in Apocalypse Now, and we intercut the native ritual at the same time. 

In many movies we watch, we like to point out continuity errors. They can be fun in bad movies but really take you out of the story in good movies. While no movie or TV show is perfect, continuity editing the very foundation of how they are created. While much of what we talked about in this post is so commonplace you might forget it.

Shot-reverse-shot

Again, this editing technique helps orient the viewer by informing them where each character is located. To do this, an editor will transition between shots of one character, who is usually shown looking at an off-screen character, and shots of the off-screen character (now on screen) looking back at them. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other. This was a feature of the "Classical Hollywood Style" of continuity editing, which deemphasizes transitions between shots such that the spectator perceives one continuous action that develops linearly, chronologically, and logically.

Match Cut

A match cut is a cut from one shot to another, often used as a transition, where the composition of the two shots are matched by the action or subject and subject matter.

There are many different types of match cuts, from the graphic match to match on action. Perhaps one of the most famous ones is the graphic match cut from 2001: A Space Odyssey in which the bone turns into a space ship, but match on action cuts, which are simply two shots cut together to depict one continuous action, is perhaps the most ubiquitous. An example would be someone reaching for a doorknob in one shot, and in the next shot, the door opens 

Cross-cutting in film

Cross-cutting is the technique of editing between two scenes that are going on simultaneously. 

This has a few useful functions, from compressing time to increasing tension to revealing a meaningful juxtaposition that highlights the themes of the narrative.

Maybe the best example of cross-cutting comes from The Godfather during the baptism scene. We cut from the baby's baptism to Michael's nefarious deeds. This not only spits in the face of the holiness of the baptism but also shows the audience his descent into evil because the editing allows those two moments to exist within the same space and time.

Jump cuts

An abrupt, disorienting transitional device in the middle of a continuous shot in which the action is noticeably advanced in time and/or cut between two similar scenes, either done accidentally (a technical flaw or the result of bad editing) or purposefully (to create discontinuity for artistic effect); also contrast with an ellipsis and match cut

Eyeline match

When you block a scene, you often have actors interacting with the set. If you want to show them picking something up and looking at it, whether it's a phone or a newspaper, you need to cut from their face to an insert shot of the thing they're interacting with. This is where the eyeline match comes into play. An editor will edit together a shot of an actor looking in a certain direction and a shot of an object from a perspective that matches their eyeline.

If they aren't looking at the object...that cut will not work. Actors must guide the audience’s eyes so they know either what the character is looking at to create the illusion.

180 Degree Rule

The 180-degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle. Reversing the angle is commonly thought to be disorienting and can distract the audience from the intent of the scene. 

Cutaways

The cutaway shot is a quintessential filmmaking and editing technique that you'll see in nearly every film and TV show. A cutaway shot is a supplementary shot that “cuts away” from the main action to indicate something else in the space, such as an object or location 

Intercut

To intercut is to juxtapose one shot or scene with another contrasting one. For example, a car chase scene suits an intercut. An intercut like this might show footage inside the cars of the fleeing criminal and the police in pursuit. When a film sequence jumps backward and forward between the two scenes, we call it an intercut. 

An intercut typically juxtaposes scenes in different locations. However, filmmakers can also intercut one shot type with another contrasting shot type. For example, they might move from a close-up to a wide shot. While this film sequence uses the technique of intercutting, it is not called an intercut on the film’s script.

Filmmakers have used intercuts throughout cinematic history. D.W. Griffiths pioneered the technique as early as 1909. His intercuts enhanced continuity in his films. One of his most notable examples is the 1916 film “Intolerance.” In this ambitious movie, Griffiths intercuts four parallel storylines occurring centuries apart.

Parallel Editing

Parallel editing is a video editing technique used in post-production in which separate scenarios are intercut together to present a storyline from multiple perspectives. It is often used as a storytelling device to show the audience two or more different scenarios taking place simultaneously but in different locations, creating a parallel storyline 

Elliptical Editing

Elliptical editing is a method of film editing in which a long set of clips that are not entirely necessary for the overall narrative of the film are condensed and shortened to provide a more interesting finished video for the audience. 

Flashback or forward, 

flashback, in motion pictures and literature, narrative technique of interrupting the chronological sequence of events to interject events of earlier occurrence. The earlier events often take the form of reminiscence. The flashback technique is as old as Western literature. 

A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. 

Montage 

Montage is a technique of film editing that combines a series of short shots or clips into one sequence, often set to music. The word montage is French for “assembly” or “editing.”

Montage sequences often imply the passage of time or multiple simultaneous events, and are a vehicle to present the audience with a lot of information at once. They can be used to evoke a range of emotions—for example:

• In a romantic comedy, a montage can show a sense of growing love or attraction between two love interests getting to know one another. Example:

• In a sports movie, a montage can show an athlete training for a big game, and heighten suspense or tension about the outcome.

• In a drama, a montage can underscore grief and sadness by showing a widow struggling with the loss of her husband.

• In a horror movie, a montage can show the main characters preparing to defend their home against a killer or supernatural force.