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Lens Flare: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
▲[[File:lens_flare_collage_multimedia_9207.jpg|frame|[[Star Trek (Film)|Damn]], [[Ocarina of Time|that's]] [[Full Metal Panic Fumoffu|bright!]]]
{{quote|''"Cheesy Lens Flare, ''GO!''"''
|'''Red Mage''', ''[[8-Bit Theater]]''}}
A form of glare, which has become a trope in its own right.
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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.
Notably, this camera glitch is included where it doesn't have to be, for dramatic effect, or to make something look like it was shot with a real camera (See [[The Coconut Effect]]).
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.
3D videogames in the mid-to-late 1990s were absolutely polluted with fake-looking lens flare effects. The [[
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 ''[[
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>
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'' uses these to an extreme, each and every [[Eyecatch]] uses at least one lens flare.
* The opening stock footage (right after the opening) of ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'' contains a bit of lens flare.
* Used in episode 3 of ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro
==
* ''[[Transformers]]'' comic book colorist Josh Burcham is infamous for adding lens flare effects wherever possible.
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* 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".
* The [[Star Trek (
** Most of flares in the movie were real however, as it was
* ''[[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
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== Live-Action TV ==
* The camera lens filters on ''[[Firefly]]'' were sent back for worse ones that didn't filter out lens flare. To give it that documentary feel.
* ''[[Lost]]'' often used
* ''[[Southland]]'' is riddled with them.
* Series 5 and 6 of ''[[
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* 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.
* The music video for [[Katy Perry]] 's music video for "E.T." has a few of these. These are probably computer generated.
== Tabletop Games ==
* Some ''[[Magic:
== Video Games ==▼
▲== Video Games ==
* 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).
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]: [[Majoras Mask]]'', the aliens glow which produces a lens flare. Because there is no cross hair while aiming you bow, this makes it easier to shoot them by lining up the circles of light.
* ''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.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'' has this for any light or computer screen, creating a the "imaginary line" version of the flare, and being a techy sci-fi game, this is practically everywhere...
==
* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja
* ''[[Fey Winds]]'': [https://web.archive.org/web/20130602071259/http://kitsune.rydia.net/comic/page.php?id=28 He has his own lens flare... That's wrong.]
* An example from ''[[The Order of the Stick
* ''[[Questionable Content]]'': [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1485 Samurai AnthroPC vs. squirrel]
** [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2110 Now featuring lens flare] [[Recycled in Space|IN SPAAACE!]]
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== Web Original ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHqjmlM3kxs Lens Flare: The Movie]
* Parodied in ''[[How It Should Have Ended
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[My Little Pony:
== 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.
* At the Iron Editor competition of Anime Central 2006 (think Iron Chef with AMV's). One of the competitors included the comment on his AMV of "Lens Flares = More Points!" As it was true that special effects added did have a merit for the purposes of judging. The audience witnessed him place a liberal number of lens flares on a large Mecha shot. The MC for the competition foolishly stated that "at least they aren't lens-flare nipples" 5 minutes later...not hard to see what happened.
* 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.
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[[Category:Camera Tricks]]
[[Category:The New Tens]]
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