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The Abyss (1989)

Directed by James Cameron · Cinematography by Mikael Salomon

PG-13140 min70 frames

AdventureThrillerScience Fiction

When you get there, you will understand.

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Stills, screencaps & shots from The Abyss

16 of 70 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

The Abyss (1989) movie still: wide — A complex deep-sea submersible moves through dark water with multiple high-intensity lights shining outward.…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A dark, dimly lit environment with a cool blue color cast. A man with a mustache looks directly into the…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A dark, cramped interior space is bathed in a distinct cool blue light. A man stares forward with a…The Abyss (1989) movie still: medium — Two men stand inside the control room of a ship with large glass windows. They observe something outside…The Abyss (1989) movie still: wide — A view across a large, calm body of water with a distant suspension bridge. The Statue of Liberty stands in the…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A cramped, dimly lit metallic interior with blue lighting and visible moisture on surfaces. A man smiles…The Abyss (1989) movie still: medium — The interior of a cramped spacecraft is filled with thick, trailing bundles of cables. A man looks upward…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — The interior of a darkened vehicle at night lit by faint blue ambient light. A man and a woman share a…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — Close interior view of an astronaut inside a pressurized helmet within a dark environment. The astronaut…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A white pressurized space suit helmet is illuminated from below in the dark. An astronaut peers down at a…The Abyss (1989) movie still: medium — A cluttered, dimly lit submarine control room filled with wires and electronics. A group of people monitor…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A man in a spacesuit looks upward against a swirling blue background. The metallic collar of his suit…The Abyss (1989) movie still: medium — A dark, cramped industrial space filled with technical equipment and blue ambient light. Two men stand in the…The Abyss (1989) movie still: medium — A surveillance room features stacks of computer equipment and monitors in the background. A man wearing a…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A dark deep-sea environment filled with blue-tinted water and rising air bubbles. A diver in a heavy…The Abyss (1989) movie still: closeup — A dark, dimly lit environment where a light table is the only illumination source. A man peers intently…
The Abyss (1989) — © 20th Century Fox, Pacific Western

The Abyss — official trailer

What is The Abyss about?

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

The Abyss is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a U.S. search and recovery team works with an oil platform crew, racing against Soviet vessels to recover the boat. Deep in the ocean, they encounter something unexpected.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch The Abyss?

US availability for The Abyss (1989). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in The Abyss?

Who made The Abyss?

What does the cinematography of The Abyss look like?

Across 70 sampled frames, The Abyss builds its coverage from close-ups (44% of the sample), with medium shots (30%) carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer Mikael Salomon keeps 74% of it in soft, low-key light. 74% of the frames play at night or in the failing light of dusk. Anamorphic glass shapes the frame. Focus stays shallow in 76% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings.

What is the color palette of The Abyss?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of The Abyss (1989) are #06172e, #0c304b, #eef0f2, #2f546c, #0c2734, #054a85 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #06172e
  • #0c304b
  • #eef0f2
  • #2f546c
  • #0c2734
  • #054a85

See the full The Abyss colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

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Techniques in this film

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