ABSTRACT
One of the main reasons many filmmakers tend to avoid lens flares is that they can call attention to the filmmaking apparatus itself, potentially distracting an audience from the story. The presence of lens flares implies the presence of a lens and a camera that can dispel the illusion that a viewer is experiencing the events they are watching first hand and not through the artifice of the film production process. J. J. Abrams’ reboot of the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek , showcases examples of virtually every kind of lens flare in virtually every major sequence of the film, be it live action or wholly computer generated. Their realistic behavior and appearance add a patina of physicality and believability to the numerous virtual sets and CGI set pieces used throughout the film, providing a unified aesthetic to seamlessly integrate these virtual elements and environments with the live-action segments.
