J.J. Abrams apologises for over-using lens flare

One of the few criticisms of J.J. Abrams’ filmmaking is his occasional over-use of lens flare, a tic the director has acknowledged in a recent interview with Crave Online .

“I know I get a lot of grief for that,” Abrams tells Crave Online . “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 apologise.

“I'm so aware of it now,” he continues. “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,” he explains. “I actually had to use ILM 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!”

Should fans expect a more sober visual tone for Star Wars: Episode VII then? We’ll believe it when we see it…