# What causes those freaky lights in movies?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-those-freaky-lights-in-movies/642006>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 24, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-those-freaky-lights-in-movies/642006 "2012-11-24T19:16:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-those-freaky-lights-in-movies/642006/21 "2012-11-25T11:24:38Z")

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> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#):
>
> Lens flare. JJ Abrams. Star Trek.

Michael Bay.

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-those-freaky-lights-in-movies/642006/22 "2012-11-25T12:38:13Z")

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> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#):
>
> Lens flare. JJ Abrams. Star Trek.

There’s a well known visual effects artist named [Andrew Kramer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3135304/) who has [a prominent web presence](http://www.videocopilot.net/), and he does a lot of work for JJ Abrams, usually title sequences and basic shots for his TV shows. He helped invent [a software plugin](https://www.videocopilot.net/products/opticalflares/) that creates heaps of different kinds of lens flares for effects shots, and now whenever you see a lens flare in any movie, whether connected with JJ Abrams or not, it’s likely applied using that plugin.

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