That viral TikTok video of lights over London – genuine or lens flare?

There's a video doing the rounds on TikTok that's got about 2 million views - allegedly filmed above the M25 near Potters Bar, shows a cluster of orange/amber lights moving in formation. My mates keep sending it to me asking if it's real aliens and obviously I've got to do the boring mate thing of explaining it's probably either Chinese lanterns, aircraft, or camera tricks.

But I'm genuinely not sure this time. The video is high quality, filmed on a proper camera not a phone, and the lights do something unusual - they seem to dim and brighten in sequence rather than all at once, which rules out a single light source moving across the frame.

Would love someone more experienced at video analysis to have a look. I've attached the link below. Is there anything actually anomalous here or am I looking at a very well-executed hoax?

I watched that. The formation movement is interesting but that doesn't necessarily mean alien spacecraft. You get similar effects with helicopter light shows, drone swarms (which are getting more sophisticated), or even carefully choreographed lanterns if someone's really got the time. The sequential dimming could just be the camera adjusting exposure as the lights change angle relative to the lens.

The video is high quality, filmed on a proper camera not a phone

Quality doesn't equal authenticity though. Proper camera just means someone with decent equipment made it. Could be an art project, could be someone larking about, could be genuine. The quality actually makes me slightly suspicious because most genuine UAP footage is dodgy phone video from random people.

Without being able to examine the metadata or see the original file, it's hard to say definitively. The file compression that happens when it gets uploaded to TikTok loses a lot of detail. Have you tried contacting the person who posted it asking for the uncompressed version? That might tell you more.

I've seen that video. Pretty sure I tracked down the person who filmed it - they're an amateur filmmaker from Hertfordshire, quite talented actually. Never confirmed whether it was real or a project, just let the mystery happen. Bit cheeky but effective way to get views I suppose.

The M25 near Potters Bar would be under heavy aircraft traffic from Stansted and Luton. Have you cross-referenced with flight paths from that evening? That's usually where I start with these videos.