Lense flare or sun flare in Speilberg films?

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Evan Sherlock

Member
So, I was watching Minority Report on TNT HD a couple days ago, and I noticed the same flare type things that were in Saving Private Ryan were in MR. Im not sure if they are lense flares or sun flares, Im pretty sure they are not lense flares though. They are more like white looking bar/stripes across the image. For intstance if you have seen MR, I believe they appear in the automobile factory scene while Colin Ferrel and Tom Cruise are on top of the crane platform and fighting. Anywho, what are these and how can they be replicated? Thanks.
 
what's the difference in a lens flare and a sun flare? isn't it all just reflected light in the lens whether it's from a house lamp or the sun?

and is there a type of lens that won't provide a flare at the right angle? I don't think so.

Speilberg uses lots of visible source backlight in lots of things from E.T to A.I.. etc., which can cause a flare as the camera moves or pans.
 
I've never heard the term "sun flare" either, but I'm still guessing doir nets or classic soft since Kaminski seems incapable of shooting a movie without extensive use of both. I'll have to re-watch the scene, though.
 
Thanks for everyones replies. Maybe I made up the term "sun flares", lol. Im not a cinematography type of guy.

Anywho, its definitely some sort of "flare", I have just only seem them in a couple of Spielberg films. Here some captures of what I mean (hopefully im aloud to post links to these screenshots?):

link
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(specifically the second one, at the bottom of the image)
 
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Those look like film streaks, caused by the film loop mis-registering. It's caused by too tight or too loose a film loop, pushing on the pressure plate. I'm sure it was used to recreate the period look.

As for Minority report... Perhaps you were refering to the prismatic filtration?
 
They intentionally used some pretty damaged cameras on Saving Private Ryan to get that smearing. Check into the American Cinematographer article on that film, and should get all the info you want.
 
In answering another thread topic, I found this was brought up in the past...

To resurrect a dead thread but more importantly, answer the question:

Those streaks of light are caused by the camera's purposeful shutter misalignment. It is set to be off sync with the camera movement. When the pull down claw goes to move the film, the shutter has not flipped around all the way like it should, causing highlights (the fastest exposures) to be visibly 'dragged' across the frame (as the claw moves in the next frame.

It's not from lenses, although Steven and Janusz do love them some lens flares.
 
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Joshua Provost said:
They intentionally used some pretty damaged cameras on Saving Private Ryan to get that smearing. Check into the American Cinematographer article on that film, and should get all the info you want.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but then when Kaminsky was supposedly 'trying' to match the previous cinematography used in the earlier Indiana Series films, he still ended up with a 'soft' flary look.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
In answering another thread topic, I found this was brought up in the past...

To resurrect a dead thread but more importantly, answer the question:

Those streaks of light are caused by the camera's purposeful shutter misalignment. It is set to be off sync with the camera movement. When the pull down claw goes to move the film, the shutter has not flipped around all the way like it should, causing highlights (the fastest exposures) to be visibly 'dragged' across the frame (as the claw moves in the next frame.

It's not from lenses, although Steven and Janusz do love them some lens flares.
Click to expand...
how would one do this on digital?
 
Originally Posted by Joshua Provost
They intentionally used some pretty damaged cameras on Saving Private Ryan to get that smearing. Check into the American Cinematographer article on that film, and should get all the info you want.
Click to expand...
Damaged? Haha, I really doubt Kaminski just threw it down a flight of stairs and started shooting with it after it looked messed up. They just deliberately off set the shutter. It's a precise adjustment, although one considered wrong by normal production means. Nor would any smart producer risk using damaged equipment.

Revsta said:
how would one do this on digital?
Click to expand...

To my knowledge you can't. Because of how the way the film camera works and how a digital camera works, it's just not possible. Perhaps a dual and slightly off sync rolling shutter could work. It would have to phase out though, as the double exposure couldnt be throughout the image. But no. As of today, it can't be done in camera on a digital camera.
 
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