Lens Flare: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

A form of glare, which has become a trope in its own right.

It occurs when a bright object, usually the sun, is in the shot. The light causes a glare off every piece of glass it passes through on the way to the film or optical receiver. This causes a little ghostly chain of circles, on an imaginary line from the object through the center of the frame.

 

 

In 3D CGI, the rendering engine can throw one in automatically. (See: the recent ''[[Star Trek]]'' opening sequences, ''Adobe Photoshop'''s "Lens Flare" plug-in.) Often, the software will even allow the user to specify the ''type'' of lens to be faked.

 

 

In older anime, a fake lens flare combined with a [[Audible Sharpness|sharp sound effect]] ([[Homestar Runner|shaheen!]]) is used during a beauty shot of any appropriately shiny [[Humongous Mecha]], as parodied several times on ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]].''

 

Artists have many debates over the use of lens flares in animation and CGI. Ironically, the artificial element can add a touch of realism (even without [[The Coconut Effect]]) due to the fact that the user is watching the image through a screen.<ref>Unless it's flat. Which an increasing proportion of televisions are.</ref> Others feel that the lens flare has been overused and doesn't truly add anything to the image, other than distracting from the quality (or lack there of) of the image.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'' uses these to an extreme, each and every [[Eyecatch]] uses at least one lens flare.

 

 

* ''[[Transformers]]'' comic book colorist Josh Burcham is infamous for adding lens flare effects wherever possible.

 

* Parodied in ''[[Hot Fuzz]]''. When Sgt. Angel is in the pub for the first time doing his little [[Sherlock Scan]] on all the minors in the pub he spots one kid who smiles at the same time a car outside turns on its lights, causing a hilariously over the top Flare that blinds Sgt. Angel.

* In the second ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' movie, the camera does a worm's-eye-view of Jack on the ship's deck, with a big ring-shaped lens flare surrounding him. The DVD commentary shamelessly calls that "the greatest lens flare in cinema".

* ''[[Super 8]]'': The amount of scenes ''don't'' have a lens flare could be counted with both hands.

* There is always real lens flare around the spinners in ''[[Blade Runner]]'' as the light on top of them is so bright. Invoked by the design team as they noted the lens flare made them seem more real and less like pieces of plastic flying around

* The music video for [[Eminem]]'s "Love the Way You Lie" uses about a million of these, making a gritty story about an abusive relationship oddly (visually) beautiful.

* The [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oCCnxBos10 video] for the [[Michael Jackson]] / Akon duet "Hold My Hand", made well after Jackson died, abuses lens flares to give seemingly everything nice in the world an etherial, "magical" quality.

 

 

* Some ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' cards have this in their art. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=42058 Wingbeat Warrior] caused someone to send in a letter wondering what it was doing there, which earned the reply "Yes, there are 35mm cameras all over Otaria. Photography is a favorite hobby there."

 

 

* Older ''[[Ace Combat]]'' games (such as Air and 2) has no lens flare. Conversely, it got really gratuitous in 3: Electrosphere (but it does look [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|awesome]]). Later games have it, but not as pronounced.

** It does serve quite functionally. If you line up the lens flare, you [[Captain Obvious|''will'' get disoriented by staring at the sun]]. Think that's not a big deal? The very first mission in Electrosphere has you heading towards the sunset to intercept some backup fighters. For a lack of better term, you basically ''couldn't see shit'' (aside from the lens flare that is).

* ''Perfect World International'''s debut trailer's use of lens flare was savaged by Kotaku's debut (and only) episode of Trailer Trash. Their response? Make a new trailer, ''[[Self-Deprecation|Now with more lens flare]]".

* '97 racing game ''POD'' featured lens flares around the sun of the alien planet the game was set on. Yes, that sun that was usually obscured by dark [[Blood Moon|red clouds]]. All you saw was the... lens flare.

* This is decently done for the opening animation in ''[[Sonic Advance]] 2'', a Game Boy Advance game. The "camera" flies across the ocean before panning up to reveal an island. It continues to fly up, giving us a lens flare, then the title screen.

* ''[[Vectorman]]'' might be the first video game to feature a lens flare.

 

 

* An example from ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0430.html here].

* ''[[Questionable Content]]'': [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1485 Samurai AnthroPC vs. squirrel]

 

== Western Animation ==

 

 

== Other ==

* The simple presence of lens flares can be a useful aid in constructing a scene in 3D. Given most light sources on computers are points and have no actual size, having something show up there can be a big help when positioning lights.

* This is not merely an animation or CGI trope. Modern movie cameras are perfectly capable of completely eliminating lens flare, but it's generally left in (or added in post-production) because the audience thinks that films "look fake" without it.

** Apple's iMovie editing software actually has a lens flare effect. Presumably other editing software does as well.

[[Category:Camera Tricks]]

[[Category:The New Tens]]

[[Category:Lighting Tropes]]