Filmlexikon.
Term of the day · June 13
Iris Out
Editing · Terms

Iris Out.

Iris schließen.

Circular wipe where the image closes from edges to a point, created via iris diaphragm or digital radial mask.

Murnau AI illustration
11 disciplines, one language

Topics.

One pictogram per category. Click → A–Z of that discipline.

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60 terms
Theory Naatch-Gaana Film Indian commercial cinema structured around music and dance numbers — plot serves as frame for spectacular set… Theory Nagare-Mono Japanese narrative form — protagonist moves through episodic scenes without conventional plot structure… Sound Nagra Recorder Nagra Swiss magnetic tape recorder — 1950s–1980s standard for wireless sound on set. Robust, reliable, portable… Theory Naïve Cinema Naiver Film Early silent films (1890s–1910s) without editing, close-ups, or narrative sophistication — pure documentation… Theory Naïveté in cinema Naivität im Film Deliberate or unintentional departure from narrative convention — character or film acts without knowledge of… Production naming conventions Namenskonventionen Standardized naming system for files, takes, shots — essential chaos prevention across hundreds of clips… Theory Nanar French slang for unintentionally bad film — B-movie aesthetics with cheap FX and clumsy dialogue. Cult status… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Nanlite: Chinese LED manufacturer known for compact, variable color temperature fixtures in the mid-price… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Compac Nanlite Compac LED lights (20-200 series) with 68-200 SMD LEDs, CRI 96+, continuously variable color… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza Nanlite Forza: COB LED light fixture (60–720W, up to 57,400 lux) with Bowens mount and DMX/wireless control… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza 150 Nanlite 150W COB-LED spot with 165W power consumption, continuously dimmable 10–100%, active cooling under… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza 300 Nanlite Forza 300: 300W COB LED light with Bowens mount, CRI ≥96, continuously dimmable 1-100%, silent… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza 500 Nanlite Forza 500: 500W LED spot delivering 76,000 lux — high-end fixture for large sets and exterior shoots. Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza 60 60W LED panel with FM mount (Bowens via adapter), daylight color temp. Compact, dimmable, no heat output… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite Forza 720 Nanlite Forza 720 COB LED light fixture: 720W, CRI ≥96, 5600K. Offers instant-on operation and reduced heat… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite LitoLite Nanlite LED panel series delivering 2,500–8,500 lux, full spectrum 2,700–7,500K, CRI 96+, battery-powered… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite MixPanel RGBWW LED panel by Nanlite with app control — delivers full-color and effects lighting for creative setups. Lighting · Equipment Nanlite PavoSlim Nanlite PavoSlim: compact LED panel with 576 bi-color LEDs, CRI 96+, 120W consumption, 3.8kg. Preferred for… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite PavoTube Nanlite LED tube lights available in four lengths (28–118 cm, 18–72 W) with RGB color control, CRI ≥95… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite PavoTube 15C Nanlite 50cm RGB LED tube with 1350 lux, 204 diodes, 5h battery life and app control for on-set lighting. Lighting · Equipment Nanlite PavoTube 30C Nanlite PavoTube 30C: RGB LED tube with 192 high-CRI LEDs, DMX control, 2.4GHz wireless, built-in battery… Lighting · Equipment Nanlite PavoTube II Nanlite RGB-LED tube with 288 LEDs, 2700K–7500K, CRI ≥96, 40min battery life. Versatile practical light and… Production Nanny Kinderfrau On-set caregiver for child actors — responsible for wellbeing, rest periods, legal compliance. Essential crew… Theory · Terms Narration Erzählstimme Narrative voice-over recorded with condenser microphones like Neumann U87 in isolated VO booths at 48 kHz/24… Directing Narrative Narrativ The complete story structure and delivery — who tells it, how, and in what order. Governs pacing, tension… Theory Narrative Erzählung How you arrange events in time and causality — exposition, conflict, resolution. Determines how viewers… Theory · Terms Narrative Erzählung The way a story is told in film — its structure, perspective, and the chronological flow of the action. Theory Narrative Instance Narrative Instanz The film's storytelling perspective — who or what narrates. Can be invisible (classical narrator), embodied… Theory Narratography Narratographie Description of how visual storytelling unfolds — camera movement, editing, framing shape narrative delivery… Theory Narratology Narratologie Study of how stories are structurally built across any medium — narrative perspective, voice, causality… Production Narrowcasting Broadcasting targeted at specific, small audiences instead of mass market. Streaming platforms use… Lighting · Terms Narrow Spot Enger Spot Narrow Spot: lighting fixture with reduced beam angle for precise, directional illumination in film and… Production NATAS National Association of Television Arts & Sciences—Emmy Awards for television and streaming. Where episodic… Theory National Cinema Nationalkinematographie A country's film output as cultural and political force — shapes style, themes, infrastructure. Italian… Production National CineMedia US cinema network and advertising platform—controls programming across 14,000+ screens. Critical for… Theory National Epic Nationalepos Cinematic epic that engages national history, myth, or collective identity — Eisenstein, Kurosawa, Dvořák… Production National Film Archive of India India's state film archive in Pune—preserves and restores Indian and international cinema. Essential source… Production National Film Board Nationale Filmförderung State-funded or public broadcasting film institution supporting production — typically backs documentaries… Production National Film Registry US Library of Congress cultural preservation registry—films 10+ years old eligible for selection. Highest… Production Native Advertising Sponsored content woven into documentary or narrative film—looks and feels like the surrounding story, not a… Theory Native American / Indigenous person Indianer Film context: Indigenous peoples of the Americas — historically caricatured through racist Hollywood… Theory Native American Western / Indian Western Indianerwestern Western subgenre centering Indigenous protagonists—not antagonists or backdrop. Deconstructs frontier… Camera · Terms Native ISO Native ISO / Base ISO Base ISO (also Native ISO) is the sensitivity setting at which a camera sensor performs optimally… Camera · Technique Native ISO The ISO value at which a camera operates without additional amplification, delivering optimal image quality… Camera · Technique Native ISO 3200 Native ISO 3200 / Basis-ISO 3200 / Dual Native ISO Hoch Camera sensor's secondary optimal sensitivity setting at ISO 3200 in dual native ISO systems – provides… Camera · Technique Native ISO 4300 / Base ISO 4300 / Dual Native ISO High Native ISO 4300 / Basis-ISO 4300 / Dual Native ISO Hoch Blackmagic camera sensor's secondary native sensitivity at ISO 4300 in dual native ISO configurations… Camera · Technique Native ISO 800 Native ISO 800 / Basis-ISO 800 / EI 800 Industry-standard base sensitivity for professional digital cinema cameras like ARRI ALEXA – the optimal ISO… Production NATO National Association of Theatre Owners—cinema owner's body that sets exhibition standards for projection and… Camera · Terms NATO Rail NATO-Schiene Modular mounting rail system of anodized aluminum (19mm wide, 6mm slot depth) for tool-free attachment of… General Natural Color Kinematograph Company British color film company (est. 1908) using early additive color process — competed with Kinemacolor. Failed… Art Department · Terms Natural Frame Natürlicher Rahmen Compositional technique using natural elements—doorways, windows, rock formations—to frame the main subject… Theory Natural History Film Naturkundefilm Scientific documentation of biological or geological processes — animal behavior, evolution, ecosystems… Directing Naturalism Naturalismus Aesthetic approach showing reality without artificial distortion — rejects stylization, theatrical lighting… Lighting Natural Lamp NatLamp Tungsten or LED fixture integrated into the scene as practical light — table lamp, overhead fixture… Lighting · Terms Natural Light Natürliches Licht Sunlight, moonlight, or candlelight used without supplementary artificial lighting. Provides ~100,000 lux in… Lighting Natural Light / Daylight Tageslicht Unfiltered or minimally modified sunlight — highest contrast at noon, soft sidelight at golden/blue hour… Camera Natural Motion Blur Natürliche Bewegungsunschärfe Motion blur created by shutter speed — occurs naturally at 180° shutter angle. Determines whether fast… Art Department Natural Set Dressing Natürliche Ausstattung Found, existing environment at a location — furniture, objects, architecture left as-is. Authenticity gains… Sound Natural Sounds Naturalistische Geräusche Ambient audio without dialogue or score — traffic, rain, foliage creating spatial presence. Essential for… Theory Natural Title / Diegetic Title Naturtitel Text that exists within the story's world — street sign, newspaper headline, door nameplate — not imposed by…
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