Personal Preference For Lens Flares

This is a bit of an odd topic to start, but since I’m noticing various types of lens flares more & more in films, I thought I’d mention my preferences.

Accepting the blue laser flares that span the screen & often feature in music vids or on the mFlare page, I’m specifically talking about the type you see in outdoor shots relating to the sun. Since the sun is still basically uniformly round, last time I checked, I prefer my sun related flares to match. Every time I see hexagonal or octagonal flare, it breaks the cinematic mood for me as I’m reminded of camera lens technology. Don’t you think round flares look better in sunny scenes?

My only variation on this might be dependent on what you were shooting, for instance it might be interesting to peer into a beehive looking down onto their golden comb with a hexagonal flare, or a flyby of the military’s Pentagon with a pentagonal flare, or a cage fighting match with a octagonal flare. Having never seen this done, it might actually be too much, or over the top.

One thing I know, I prefer round flares for sunny scenes.

I prefer to stay away from fad-of-the-day type effects and concentrate on telling an emotionally compelling story.

Hehe... hey, that's what I'm always saying.

Yeah, lens flares have gone overboard, did you see the new Total Recall yet?
(lens flares in every scene, even indoors)
But Looper also displays them prominently (about every second scene) even side to side frame spanning blue laser flares from just opening the fridge! Why does everyone's vision of the future feature lens flares so heavily?

But maybe the fad's already passing, it looks as if light leaks are going to be the new lens flares.

I was alluding to the odd occasional use in an outdoor scene when we pan or track so there's a justifiable reason for the flare, & I kinda like it to be round like the sun, so I can believe it. It also works for me when there's some glass, as in they're driving or wearing shades, but maybe just once or twice in a whole feature. Or at night with a blue tint from headlights or in a club. Maybe in the club we can go with a hexagon shape... & a techno beat.