Oval Flare

The Oval Flare is the fingerprint that anamorphic glass leaves in ghost reflections. Where a spherical lens casts a round lens flare into the image, the cylinder elements of the anamorphic lens compress the same reflection horizontally – leaving a vertical oval. During projection or desqueeze, the image is stretched horizontally, but the reflection remains elliptical because it has taken the optical path through the cylinders twice.

Relationship and Distinction

The Oval Flare is the big brother of the Anamorphic Spot: the same physics, but larger and softer, often appearing as a chain of several ovals diagonally across the image as the light source moves. It is clearly distinct from the famous horizontal streak – the streak is stray light along the cylinder axis, while the oval is a true ghost reflection of the aperture on the lens surfaces.

Use on Set

With spotlights or the sun just within the frame or partially visible, and the aperture not stopped down too much – the ovals will then show the shape of the aperture opening. Older anamorphic lenses with few aperture blades produce more angular ovals, while modern series with many blades produce softer ones. In flare data sheets, the oval inclination is documented per series because it clearly differentiates series: some lenses ovalize even with candlelight, while others only do so with direct backlight.

Practical Tips

• Ovals move in the opposite direction of the light source during a pan – check the path of the reflection through the frame beforehand when doing tracking shots.
• Those who define the anamorphic look solely by streaks are missing out on oval bokeh and oval flares as subtler identifying features.
• When lens matching mixed sets, pay attention: a spherical B-camera will produce round reflections that stand out next to the ovals in the edit.