Those are reflections. It's a flare caused by direct light being refracted through the various elements in the lens. Some expensive professional (read: expensive) lenses help to reduce flares, but whenever that kind of direct light enters the front element of the lens, you'll get a flare and there's not much you can do about it.

One way to reduce the flare is to soften the light coming from the flashlight (torch). The way the shot looks now, the light level is brighter than it truly needs to be to sell the idea that the character is holding a torch and shining a light out into the darkness. Try placing a small circle of Neutral Density gel over the torch's front lens to reduce the amount of light it shines. You could also try to place a bit of diffusion material over it too.

The only reason you might need a high intensity light in a shot like this would be if you wanted to see a beam of light, in which case you'd create "fog" so that the light had something to shine against. You'd also be able to enhance this look by using Xenon flashlights, though typically, they need to be powered externally, so your Actor would carry the unit and the cable would be hidden up his sleeve and would trail behind him as he walked.

As far as fixing a flare in post, as you've discovered, there's not much you can do effectively.

Brian Dzyak
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