Beware the bright lights ahead, but unless you’re a gremlin, watching this video should be safe. Lens flares are oftentimes thought of as accidents in film; moments where the director wasn’t careful about the lighting structure or there was a misplaced mirror nearby. Truthfully, a flare-up is one of the most breathtaking moments in a film; it’s a glorious supernova projecting off the screen and into your conscious.
If flares weren’t beautiful, would someone like the inimitable Paul Thomas Anderson use them in nearly all his films, particularly “Punch Drunk Love” to represent the spark between Adam Sandler and Emily Watson? (Not to mention the glow exuding from Daniel Plainview’s flashlight during the oil-rigging scenes of “There Will Be Blood.”)
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Jacob T. Swinney has created this masterful grouping of lens flares that ranges from more recent films like the “Star Trek” reboots and “Superman” to Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (who could ever forget the sheer terror of The Bride being buried alive?), Lars von Trier’s misanthropic, oh-no-the-world-is-ending drama “Melancholia,” and Spike Jonze’s effortlessly lovely “Her.”
Take a look (with or without sunglasses) for yourself and let us know what your favorite flare up is in the comments below. [Live For Films]
