Generative visuals are grown, not shot: systems of rules (noise fields, particles, physics, shaders) produce imagery that never existed as a file. Parameters steer character; randomness and input, often audio, keep it alive.
The lineage runs from analog video synthesis through demoscene effects to today’s shader culture and node tools. What changed is horsepower: real-time GPUs render at show quality now, so generative moved from screensaver to stage.
Against clip playback the trade is control for infinity. A loop is a guaranteed shot; a generative system is a space of shots, explored live. Photism’s scenes are generative systems tuned so their space stays inside one coherent aesthetic.