J.J. Abrams admits that he is addicted to lens flares

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

For all of you worried that J.J. Abrams was going to overload STAR WARS: EPISODE VII with his trademark lens flares, you can rest a little easier today. Abrams now realizes that he has a problem and is doing what he can to fix it. The director of flare-heavy flicks such as STAR TREK and SUPER 8 acknowledged to Crave Online that he is not ignorant to those who mock his camera technique. Here is what he told them when asked:

“I know I get a lot of grief for that. But I’ll tell you, there are times when I’m working on a shot, I think, ‘Oh this would be really cool… with a lens flare.’ But I know it’s too much, and I apologize. I’m so aware of it now. I was showing my wife an early cut of Star Trek Into Darkness and there was this one scene where she was literally like, ‘I just can’t see what’s going on. I don’t understand what that is.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I went too nuts on this.’

This is how stupid it was. I actually had to use ILM [Industrial Light & Magic] to remove lens flare in a couple of shots, which is, I know, moronic. But I think admitting you’re an addict is the first step towards recovery.”

Wait, he actually had to remove flares from STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS? Wow, that is a lot of flare. While I don’t think STAR WARS: EPISODE VII will be flare free, at least now we know it won’t be as overindulgent as in his prior films. Now, if only J.J. Abrams could go back and have ILM fix his other movies we would be all set.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII opens in 2015.