While conducting my night shoots, one of the things I found myself filming a lot was bokeh effects. After my initial test shoots I started looking for different ways to create more interesting ‘bokeh shots’. First I tried capturing the moving lights of cars and traffic lights and this wielded really nice results. The addition of movement to these shots helped a lot, however I found that by positioning the camera behind a tree/fence/bush/etc (with the light source on the other side) I was able to create FAR more detailed and interesting bokeh effects.
By positioning the camera behind things like twisted chain-link fences and bushes, I was able to create fascinating silhouette patterns that would become even more impressive if the light sources being filmed were moving. This technique added a lot to the bokeh effects; creating more unique discs of light and giving each composition more visual interest.
The short video above shows some of my further attempts to transform bokeh effects through the editing process. In this edit I spliced together numerous clips to create the somewhat lava-lamp-esque compositions. I couldn’t be more happy with how this test turned out – I really think I succeeded in transforming the somewhat common bokeh effect into something more unique and visually compelling.