10 Things Movie Fans Find Too Distracting

7. Lens Flare

Star Trek Into Darkness
Paramount

Speaking of too much of a distracting thing, here we have another annoying camera trick which feels like it has found its way into just about every big name sci-fi movie in recent memory.

The dreaded lens flare.

Much like shaky cam, the sight of distinct light scattered across an actors face or a bright haze spread around outer space may not have become so irritating had it only been used on the odd occasion. But, this has now somehow become commonplace in pretty much any movie set in space, with films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek and Star Wars all getting a little too carried away with the trendy effect.

J.J. Abrams, a man known for his liberal use of lens flare, has even admitted that his wife was confused as to what was going on in one particular scene in an early cut of Star Trek Into Darkness due to his excessive use of the technique.

As well as getting in the way of on screen action when overused, lens flare is also a constant reminder that what your seeing is being shot on a camera. Pulling audiences away from a story just so they can marvel at the pretty lights.

Contributor
Contributor

Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...