Slate's Culture Blog

Oct. 29 2014 3:43 PM

Behold the Epic Power of Lens Flares

By David Haglund

“Lens flares seem to catch a bad rap,” writes filmmaker Jacob T. Swinney in the description of his lens flare compilation over at Vimeo. It’s true: The dramatic effect created when a very bright light shines into a camera lens has become such a common feature of Hollywood sci-fi and action flicks that it’s now rather easy to scoff at. (They’re also easy to add digitally; J.J. Abrams reportedly included 721 lens flares in Star Trek.)

But when used well, the too-bright-to-look-at-directly power of lens flares can be a beautiful thing, and Swinney captures that in this video, appropriately scored to “Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)” by John Murphy.

(Via Press Play.)

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