The 180-degree rule states that the camera should remain on the same side of an imaginary line drawn between characters during a scene to maintain spatial continuity. Breaking this rule can confuse audiences as it disorients their understanding of where characters are in relation to each other. Continuity editing aims to smoothly transition between shots through techniques like matching actions, diegetic sound, and establishing shots to logically connect scenes and prevent viewer disorientation. Common techniques include ellipses to imply breaks in time, diegetic sound to overlap shots, and matching actions to maintain temporal continuity across cuts.