Narration involves telling of a story, and the supplemental information given to the film audience by an off-screen voice; can be a movie character or an omniscient presence. Sometimes the narrator is a character in the film who provides information in a flashback. See also "voice-over."

A narrative film is a structured series of events, linked by cause and effect, that provide the plot of a film. A narrative film tells a chronological or linear story (with a beginning, middle, and end), as opposed to non-narrative films, such as poetic or abstract films.

Naturalism is a term signifying a hyper form of realism. With naturalism, life is depicted in an unbiased, stoic way. "On the Waterfront" is a naturalistic movie. See also "neorealism."

A negative refers to film that has an inverted record of the light and dark areas of the photographed scene.

A negative pick-up guarantee is when a distributor advances a lump sum to the producer after production and upon delivery of the film negative.

Neo-realism is an influential movement of the late 1940s and 1950s that originated in Italy. Inaugurated by Jean Renoir, but associated with Italian post-war directors (Rossellini, Visconti, and De Sica). Neo-realism refers to films made outside the studio, with shooting on real locations, sometimes the absence of a script and/or non-professional casts and actors, all designed simultaneously to cut costs and increase the impression of spontaneity. Neo-realistic films often deal with contemporary social and political issues. See also "naturalism."

Net deal is a distribution deal where fees, P & A, advances, and interest on advances are subtracted from distributor revenue before arriving at the producer’s net rentals.

Network TV originally referred to the "Big Three" (ABC, NBC and CBS), but now network TV includes additional competitors, such as Fox Channel, often known as "free-TV."

New Hollywood is a film movement that took place in the United States from roughly 1967-1976. New Hollywood was led by a group of film students, such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, with a passion for filmmaking and the desire to challenge the stagnant status quo.

New Wave originally referred to a group of individualistic, innovative, and non-traditional French filmmakers, directors and producers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, and Alain Resnais, who began as critics on Cahiers du Cinema and espoused the principles of auteur theory. The New Wave film style was characterized by a cinema verite style with the use of the jump cut, the hand-held camera, non-linear storytelling, and loose, improvised direction; now used to generally refer to any new movement in a national cinema. Also known as "Nouvelle Vague."

Newsreel refers to a filmed cinema news report.

Nickelodeon is the term for a makeshift motion picture theater, often a converted store, which proliferated all over the US, mostly in working-class areas of metropolitan centers, during the first decade of the 20th century. Patrons would pay to watch short films on individual machines like a Kinetoscope or a Mutoscope. The name nickelodeon was derived from the 5 cents/nickel charged to patrons.

Nihilistic, or nihilism, refers to a dark and brooding film that features a downbeat, depressing, dreary, cynical, gloomy, or bleak tone. Nihilism is often doom-laden and concerned with the subjects of death, suffering, tragedy, unhappiness, and existential despair. The protagonist often meets with death or tragedy in a film's conclusion. See also "dystopia."

Nitrate film base is a highly-flammable kind of film base, composed of cellulose nitrate, used up until the late 1940s, when it was then supplanted by acetate base.

Non-interest-bearing presales refers to a distributor or granting agency may advance a lump sum to the producer, either to be used for production, or after production.

A non-speaking role is a small role in a film, usually a brief appearance on screen that has no dialogue but where the individual is clearly identifiable and usually appears in the credits; see also extra, cameo, bit, and walk-on.

Non-sync, or non-synchronized, refers to a scene shot without synchronized sound, and sounds must be added later during the editing stage. "Sync sound" is its opposite. Non-sync also refers to a mismatched soundtrack. Also known as "asynchronous."

Non-theatrical rights are rghts for a film to be screened in arenas outside of theaters, such as streaming, airlines, and VOD, among others. See also “ancillary markets.”

Non-traditional casting is a movement that is now officially headed by the Non-Traditional Casting Project (NTCP) to "promote inclusive hiring practices and standards, diversity in leadership and balanced portrayals of persons of color and persons with disabilities." Non-traditional casting should not be confused with "cast against type" or "miscast."

Nostalgia film is a film that wistfully looks back at an earlier past time, often depicting it as more innocent and uncomplicated than it actually was, historically. Usually looks back on the protagonist's or narrator's childhood. See also "coming of age film."

Novelization refers to making a novel from a film or screenplay.

NTSC is the abbreviation, refers specifically to National Television System Committee that sets TV and video standards. Also refers to the US, Canada and Japanese video display systems that have 525 horizontal scan lines of resolution, 16 million different colors, at 30 frames per second (or 60 half-frames (interlaced) per second). Competing systems in Europe and worldwide are PAL (Phase Alternating Line) and SECAM (Sequential Color with Memory).

A nudie is an old term for a pornographic movie, often used during the age of the Hayes Code when nudity was forbidden by censors in mainstream films on the silver screen. An era of nudie films was generated by filmmaker Russ Meyer in the late 50s. Also see "porn."

Nut refers to operating expenses associate with a film in the movie-theater business, including the exhibitor's calculation of what it takes to lease his theater, to staff and run it, etc. Also known as "house nut."

narration

narrative film

naturalism (naturalistic)

negative

negative pick-up guarantee

neo-realism

net deal

network TV

New Hollywood

New Wave

newsreel

nickelodeon

nihilistic (nihilism)

nitrate film base

noir

non-interest-bearing presales

non-speaking role

non-sync (non-synchronized)

non-theatrical rights

non-traditional casting

nostalgia film

novelization

NTSC

nudie (or nudie flick)

nut

Stage 32 Glossary