The Filmmaker's Eye

abstract shot

The abstract shot originated in early avant-garde and experimental films from the 1920s; although initially they were used exclusively in these kinds of films, they were eventually incorporated in mainstream narrative films (a famous example being the “Stargate” sequence in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey). These shots emphasize colors, textures, patterns, shapes, lines, and composition over their literal content. They are usually non-representational and non-referential, making it difficult or sometimes even impossible to recognize the subject of their compositions. Because of their abstract nature, audiences tend to extract meaning from these shots based on the raw emotional connection the graphic qualities of the image suggest, ...