J.J. Abrams Lens Flares: How They're Made

The King of the Lens Flare (aka JJ Abrams) is set to direct Star Wars Episode VII. But what are lens flares exactly and how are they made? And how do filmmakers like Abrams use them to their advantage? Anthony goes behind the lens for answers.

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[alexmaster]

In J.J. Abrams movies, lens flares mean Death/violence is happening or is about to happen. you can see in Star trek that when nothing bad is happening there are no lens flares, but when shit is getting crazy there are tons of flares.

[LucasSpurrell]

J.J is a very stylistic director and has his things he likes to do and use BUT he is one of the biggest Star Wars fans of all time and that's why he initially turned down the opportunity to direct it. Not only did he want to watch it as a fan he also didn't want the responsibility. That's why he was ok with taking on Star Trek. He wasn't a huge star trek fan. He has said multiple times that he isn't going to use things like lens flares that are iconic J.J. Abrams things that aren't typical Star Wars styles. He's going to stay true to the series. I am very excited for his Star Wars. Being a HUGE huge fan of Star Wars I have faith in his direction. He's also working on the script which means we have a huge Star Wars geek penning the script and directing the movie, not some random director who's just going to do whatever the moneymaking studio wants him to.

[cretium]

1:50 "you're gonna get little hexagons"
*Shows pentagons*

[Seeker]

That's true! The ring is an aperture ring, and the aperture refers to the size of the opening in relation to the size of your lens, but the opening is on the diaphragm of the camera. :) -Anthony

[Feziboy]

I personally can't get enough of them! They're freakin awesome!!

[Tera_GX]

I don't always notice lens flares, so they're probably good additions when they're hard to notice. Covering much of the screen is probably where to draw the line.

[TheStonehenge]

So in many interviews, J.J. has said that when he was a kid, he was never a big fan of Star Trek, it was a little before his time. but he absolutely loved Star Wars. so this is kind of a passion project, where Star Trek was more like real work. but he's proven time and time again that he knows how to pay loving homage to great silver age movie directors while also making really touchingly human, and well acted movies out of these homages. i think he's going to do awesome.

[HenkvanderVelden]

I love how you guys turn dull news (and already cool news like this one) into science news!

[thewatcher]

my eyes drifted away once the lens flares disappeared, for the ADD lens flairs are a must :)

[Amarouq]

I've never had so much fun learning on Youtube in my life :)

[Aethryx]

Why do you hate the anamorphic flares so much? They look neat. When they're overused it's obnoxious, but you sound like you don't want people to use them at all.

[AndyOpaleckych]

The hand with a flashlight in the right bottom corner got me crying :D :D :D

[Seeker]

I'll still be there from time to time, but I'm putting most of my energy into this project now. Hope you like it! -Anthony

[tmfilmproductionshd]

I usually make these in my visual effects editor.. but my camera can pick some of these up really well. Actually got some dope flares once when the camera was pointed directly at the sun. Those were some nice flares I hadn't seen before.

[Erizic]

The lens flare never once bothered me in Star Trek and actually I didn't even really think about it until people started pointing it out on the internet. Abrams said in an interview that he wanted the future to look like something to powerful it couldn't be contained and thats why he used them.

[TampaTay]

I love lens flares, and will continue to use them in my videos & films. Like every storytelling tool, when used correctly, they move things forward.

[YiaMdj]

I'm thinking about trying some film making, and I'm way into these lens flares. I'm gonna abuse them so much that J.J. Abrams will ask me how and why I do it.

[BestPlayedLoudLtd]

I watch JJ Abrams films partly FOR the lens flares, there is something about them that can make a shot look so stylish, and I disagree that it can detract form a film. Im not a star trek fan, the only reason I watched it was for the lens flares!

[CoolDudeProducts]

I'm a filmaker and I love to use lens flares. I don't like overdoing it but lens flares used correctly are ascetically pleasing

[DarkStar]

As a photographer, lens flares look nice in still landscape shots. Beyond that, unless in desert/snow-style movie shooting, they're distracting. I love a nice flare across the top third in a long-exposure of a river shot.