Lens Flares in recent music videos....filter?

B

badhairdude

Member
Yo,

Quick question. How does one get flares like in recent music videos and in movies like star trek? It can get annoying at times if used incorrectly but it would be nice to know how they did it.

I was thinking post production at first but that requires a lot of tracking and masking. is there an easy answer to this?

Thanks. I can post samples if you want me to.
 
Are you talking about the ones that look almost like a horizontal version of CCD smear? I'd be interested in this as well.
 
Those flares are produced by the use of anamorphic lenses, which is quite expensive and requires a cinema mount like PL or OCT-19. You can get them for 35mm adapter or for DSLR use (provided the DSLR has been modified with the appropriate mount). They can also be added in post.
 
Video Copilot has a lens flare plugin for After Effects, and that one seems to work very well for what you are talking about.
 
There's two ways to get this effect: In camera or in post. In camera is best for getting the "random" feel to the effect and having it look most realistic. In post is best for having full control of the effect.

In camera, there are two ways to get the effect: lenses or filters. Anamorphics lens flares really vary depending on the lens design. Each lens has a different lens flare look. Of the filters, there are two types: streak and flare. Streak filters come in many different types: 2 point, 4 point, 8 point, etc. and are also known as star filters. Flare filters give the illusion of an anamorphic flare. Vantage is the only one that I'm aware of that makes one: http://www.vantagefilm.com/en/news/index_28.shtml

In post, you have the same options, anamorphic or streak filter. The best anamorphic effect I've seen is utilizing Video Copilot's Optical Flares with After Effects. I show you how to do this in my video that Phil linked to. Streak filters are in lots of different plug-ins, my favorite of which is Magic Bullet Looks.
 
the new hawk anamorphic lenses dont have that strong lensflare, you need much light for it, because they are to perfect
 
NextWaveG said:
There's two ways to get this effect: In camera or in post. In camera is best for getting the "random" feel to the effect and having it look most realistic. In post is best for having full control of the effect.
Click to expand...

The best of both worlds:

point a camera with an anamorphic lens at a black backdrop. Get some flashlights and go crazy pointing em at the camera. Move it up and down the edges of the frame, across the top, etc. Then in post, comp them over your shot in a way that makes sense and is motivated by existsing light sources.

That's what we did for this video: http://www.vivomediagroup.com/work/notice-me/
 
Here's a test with a new Blue Streak filter I just bought

4673866754_a1ede73250.jpg
 
Nice! I talked to the guy at CineGear after I talked to you. Looked cool. The smaller 'sources' look way better then the fatty, in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
Indeed, the grid pattern on the filter itself does seem to create a 'banding' effect on larger flares. I'll need to see whether this is the case across all types of light sources. I believe the effect can be improved by shooting on a longer lens- the test is with a 24mm f4.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top