Continuity
The preliminary task I am doing requires me to understand continuity, the fundamental principle of moving image. It is what keeps the video moving from frame to frame. If the continuity rules are followed then the plot can unfold seamlessly and flow together creating a pleasurable experience.
The plot unfolds in such a way that the audience can assume what happens in between each shot or sequence for example, if a character boards a train in shot 1, is seen sitting reading a paper in shot 2, asleep in the same seat with the paper folded up in shot 3 and getting off the train in shot 4, the audience will not think the train journey was extraordinary short. They will assume that in between shots 2, 3 and 4 the journey continued but nothing significant happened to the plot. However, if a continuity rule was broken so that the character appeared to move seats, this would disrupt the flow of the sequence.
Match on Action
To use this technique, cut from one shot to another view that matches the action and place of the first shot. This creates an impression of continuity although you may have filmed the shots weeks apart. If a character begins an action in the first shot and completes it in the next, a visual ‘bridge’ is created which acts to disguise the cut from one to the other.
180 degree rule
The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.
In the example of a dialogue, if Owen (orange shirt in the diagram) is on the left and Bob (blue shirt) is on the right, then Owen should be facing right at all times, even when Bob is off the edge of the frame, and Bob should always be facing left. Shifting to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that Bob is now on the left side and Owen is on the right, will disorient the viewer, and break the flow of the scene.
An example of sustained use of the 180 degree rule occurs throughout much of The Big Parade, a 1925 drama about World War I directed by King Vidor. In the sequences leading up to the battle scenes, the American forces (arriving from the west) are always shown marching from left to right across the screen, while the German troops (arriving from the east) are always shown marching from right to left. After the battle scenes, when the weary troops are staggering homeward, the Americans are always shown crossing the screen from right to left (moving west) and the Germans from left to right (moving east). The audience's viewpoint is therefore always from a consistent position, in this case southward of the action.
This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen.
Shot/Reverse Shot
Shot/reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, often off-screen, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other. 
Summary
The link below is to a video that goes through every step that is above. is show the consistency of the continuity from frame to frame. It also demonstrates matching action, shot and shot reverse; 180 degree rule is covered in, in-depth detail, with a running commentary.
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