Denis Villeneuve, the director of both films in the Dune franchise, along with movies like Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Prisoners, has one condition if you want to be on his movie sets: You have to leave your cell phone at the entrance.
During the pre-award season, Villeneuve spoke to the Los Angeles Times about Dune: Part Two, a film that will likely snatch some nominations at the next Academy Awards. Nevertheless, the conversation expanded in other directions, including his childhood, his relationships with other Hollywood figures, and… mobile devices. The director expanded on his relationship with technology and how cell phones are forbidden from his movie sets:
“Cinema is an act of presence. When a painter paints, he has to be absolutely focused on the color he’s putting on the canvas. It’s the same with the dancer when he does a gesture. With a filmmaker, you have to do that with a crew, and everybody has to focus and be entirely in the present, listening to each other, being in relationships with each other.
So cellphones are banned on my set, too, since day one. It’s forbidden. When you say, ‘Cut,’ you don’t want someone going to his phone to look at his Facebook account.”
During the interview, Villeneuve took a look at his phone, and he was asked about his relationship with the device. His reply was this: “I’m like anybody. There’s something addictive about the fact that you can access any information, any song, any book. It’s compulsive. It’s like a drug. I’m very tempted to disconnect myself.”
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Denis Villeneuve’s 10 Best Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes
From Prisoners to Dune, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival, Denis Villeneuve has consistently delivered some of the best films of the 21st century.
Dune: Part Two is not the only film on Villeneuve’s mind, as he’s currently writing Dune: Messiah, aka Dune 3. Those who are worried that Villeneuve will take too long to finish the script, rest assured that he puts away his phone when writing. Not only that, Villeneuve literally retreats from the world. Per his description of where he does his writing:
In the woods. We have a country house in the forest. What I love about Canada is that you can drive an hour out of Montreal, and you’re in the wild. I absolutely adore silence. I love stillness.
But are These Restrictions on Movie Sets Really Necessary?
Villeneuve laughs when he’s asked about other restrictions on his sets. The L.A.Times brings to the table the already-refuted claims that Christopher Nolan prohibits the use of chairs during his film productions. Villeneuve didn’t use any chairs during Blade Runner 2049, but it wasn’t because of an absurd director’s order. He just had back pain:
“When I did Blade Runner, I had a back problem because I was sitting a lot. So for the Dune movies, my cinematographer, Greig Fraser, and I decided to stand, to have minimal footprints so we could be flexible and go fast, to keep the blood flowing, to be awakened. No chairs for us. Maybe for the producers at the video village.”
If directors decide to forbid something from movie sets, they have to have a reason. Cell phones are a distraction, of course, but they’re also potential tools for leaking information. After all, what’s the point of seeing leaked photos from sets that don’t even look good? Wouldn’t you rather wait for the movie to see your favorite superhero the way the director intended? Just imagine that opening sequence in Dune: Part Two with the floating soldiers if someone had leaked images from the set. Yeah, we’re with Villeneuve this time.
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Release Date
February 27, 2024
Runtime
167 minutes
Cast
Timothée Chalamet
, Zendaya
, Rebecca Ferguson
, Javier Bardem
, Josh Brolin
, Austin Butler
, Florence Pugh
, Dave Bautista
, Christopher Walken
, Lea Seydoux
, Stellan Skarsgård
, Charlotte Rampling
, Souheila Yacoub
, Roger Yuan
, Babs Olusanmokun
, Giusi Merli
, Kait Tenison
, Tara Breathnach
, Akiko Hitomi
, Imola Gáspár
, Elbooz Omar Ahmed Fathie
, Abdelkarim Hussein Seli Mohamed Hassanin
, Joseph Beddelem
, Xavier Alba Royo
, Rachid Abbad
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
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