Present a Detailed and Critical Analysis of a Visual Artefact: Lens Flares in Film and AnimationLens flares are an effect of using lenses to capture an image where the light is scattered or flared. This is usually due to particularly bright light sourc-es and imperfections in the lens, which lead to internal reflection. Throughout the history of photography and cinematography, this has been something to be avoided as it disturbs the image quality. However, in recent decades, it has been used by many film makers as a stylistic choice. This is either achieved whilst filming using specific equipment or digitally in post-production.

This is interesting in itself as it is a stylistic point of contention amongst those in the visual arts world but it’s also interesting when looked at from a post-modern approach, as a discussion of the hyperreal and our increasing inabili-ty to differentiate between reality and representation. What does the use of a lens flare achieve? It’s usually linked to a sense of added drama and realism and it occurs mostly in the sci-fi genre as well as video games. But why would adding a completely man-made effect achieve a higher level of real-ism? Alternative theories suggest that lens flares are a nostalgic adop-tion. So first, I will discuss the motivations behind the use lens flares and then I will move on to the possible insights that this gives us. Do we need fake effects to remind us that what we are viewing is only a simulation or it is that we have fully adopted these representations as a part of our reality? I will provide a solid foundation to the essay by looking at different philosophical discussions of the hyperreal, for example Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation and Plato’s Sophist. I will also explore film theory and related on-screen phenomenons such as the Coconut Effect.

Key words: film, hyperreal, simulation and simulacra, representation, reality