"Chronos" shares its particular style with the film "Koyaanisqatsi" (1983), for which Ron Fricke was the cinematographer, as well as his later films "Sacred Site" and "Baraka" (1992). The theme of the film is "the celebration of life", and does not include the themes of technology as the culprit for society or "life out of balance", which were present in "Koyaanisqatsi". "American Cinematographer" described the film as "a musical poem praising the evolution of Western man from Cairo to Los Angeles." The film was produced by Canticle Films, a production company founded by Fricke. Funding for "Chronos" came from the seed money acquired through the publicity surrounding the production of "Koyaanisqatsi".