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Effect with lens flares


James Foster

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I'm interested in the initial shot in the film linked below where the lens flares from the sun shift and move about. I wonder if anyone would have any ideas about how it is done, it is hard to tell exactly what movement is being done but it appears to me that the camera is zooming into the sun but perhaps not, would there be a technique that might reliably reproduce this effect?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

James

 

Edited by James Foster
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It's a long (older) zoom lens pointed into the sun, zooming in. Probably a 10:1 Angenieux.

Go to the 3:56 mark in this clip from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" where Doug Trumbull mounted a 35mm zoom, the old 25-250mm Angenieux, to a 65mm camera to create the rings of lens flares as V'Ger transforms and disappears, leaving only the Enterprise.

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Hi David,

Wow, a very interesting use of the technique. Unfortunately I am away from my camera ATM but I will have a look through my Nizo 801 with some studio lights shone through a hole.

I assume (though I may be wrong) that for an effect of round rings the aperture will have to be fully open in which case filming the sun would likely require the use of ND filters.

I don't know enough about lens design but are the different rings and circles dependent on the different elements of different types of lens designs, as you say I can imagine that older lenses are more suited to this effect, I believe the Nizo is considered to be prone to flare so it might be a good option.

 

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