JJ Abrams Admits to Len Flare Addiction

One of the main complaints (but mostly said with amusement) was JJ Abrams' love of lens flares being cut lose in both Star Trek movies. The flares would often appear at random spots, for random reasons that would create distractions from the moment on screen. The problem wasn't that the lens flare existed, the problem was the flare provided nothing of value to the scene it appeared in. Finally, after five years, JJ Abrams took the first step and recognized he might have a problem.

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.

This is probably good news for Star Wars as it means he will likely curtail their use.