Going to see the new Star Trek movie in a theater next weekend? Well, then we certainly hope you didn’t need your retinas for anything else ever again. Those who’ve seen it have complained of J.J. Abrams’s egregious overuse of lens flare in the film. Now, a reporter from io9 — presumably while sopping blood from his lens-flare-ravaged eye sockets — has asked the director himself to comment, and even Abrams says he may have gone a little overboard.

Says Abrams:

“I know what you’re saying with the lens flares. It was one of those things … I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, ‘Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many’ … There is something incredibly unpredictable and gorgeous about them. It is a really fun thing. Our DP would be off camera with this incredibly powerful flashlight aiming it at the lens. It became an art because different lenses required angles, and different proximity to the lens. Sometimes, when we were outside we’d use mirrors. Certain sizes were too big … literally, it was ridiculous. It was like another actor in the scene … So it was this ridiculous, added level of pain in the ass, but I love … [looking at] the final cut, [the flares] to me, were a fun additional touch that I think, while overdone, in some places, it feels like the future is that bright.



Think you’ll be safe watching Star Trek next weekend? You may want to test your eyes on this YouTube clip first, perhaps while using a pinhole projector:

J.J. Abrams Admits Star Trek Lens Flares Are “Ridiculous” [Io9 via First Showing]