A Future Filled With Lens Flare, Pack Sunglasses

     If you've watched any films or video games as of late, you've undoubtedly witnessed super-bright, horizontal light. This is something called lens flare. To quote Wikipedia: "Lens flare is the light scattered in lens systems through generally unwanted image formation mechanisms, such as internal reflection and scattering from material inhomogeneities in the lens." If this didn't make sense to you, it basically means that lens flare is unintentional light that is warped/scattered/hazed due to a camera or lens.

It looks something like this typically in films/games.

     Now camera technology generally overcame this sort of dilemma around the 1980s-1990s because we as people generally like to see what we're filming/photographing. We also don't naturally see lens flare like this, in fact, stop reading this and go stare at your nearest light fixture. (If you're wearing glasses, take them off.) If you've become blind, we recommend you stop reading this. If you didn't become blind, you'll have noticed that you don't see lens flare like that in real life, unless you perhaps wear glasses like I do, but it still doesn't look like that, but according to hollywood and big game developers, it does. It should be noted that all of this new, hip lens flare is digitally or purposefully added. One (us) might ask why.

     Now J.J. Abrams is considered the king of lens flare for the two Star Trek films that he directed which are rather notorious for their ridiculous overuse of lens flare. Since then, numerous other films and video games have followed suit, primarily from the sci-fi genre, because apparently in the future all lights will be super-bright and always on, even in broad daylight. It has become quite a trope.

Now I know why these guys wear all those damn sunglasses all the time.

     Now films and games have gone way overboard with this bloody lens flare (in my opinion at least). For example, the beginning of the destruction porn film Man of Steel was FULL of lens flare. I actually couldn't tell what was happening onscreen and I felt as if though I needed some sunglasses, and I'm sure I will if I even feel like going to see Michael Bay's lens flare/hot chicks/unrealistically huge explosions movie (this time with a small cameo by the teenage ninja mutant turtles) just after seeing the trailer.

     I'm not saying that a bit of lens flare here or there is necessarily bad, but you can't expect me to believe that every single potential source of light in a film is going to blind the camera with lens flare, that's just ridiculous! It makes even less sense in video games, especially First Person Shooters, because more often than not, the player's character's face isn't a damn camera, nor is he/she viewing the environment through a camera. As stated earlier, you can't just naturally see the sort of lens flare generated in these movies and games.

That lens flare is in no way realistic, and if it was, those goggles would be TERRIBLE for sneaking.

     Now I know that some people will  read this and think that I'm just being overly critical and that this lens flare thing isn't a big deal and barely noticeable, but for people like me, it is immediately noticeable and it is very distracting, like subtitles for many people (I personally love subtitles!) It really catches my attention and ruins any sense of immersion in the film, for me it is almost as bad as seeing wires or microphones in the shot. I can only hope that this whole "EVERYTHING MUST HAVE LENS FLARE AT ALL TIMES" thing is just a fad, and I really hope it is. Otherwise, we better get ready for a future filled with lens flare.