Denis Villeneuve: “Cellphones are banned on my set”
Denis Villeneuve has been regarded as one of the most ambitious filmmakers working today, constantly looking to expand the scope of his worlds through creative new technology and a visual style that surpasses anything that has been done before. After the staggering achievement of Arrival, Prisoners and Incendies, the director proved that he was able to add a new twist on genres that had been well-trodden before, with a life-affirming tone to the supernatural core of Arrival that has cemented it as one of the most beautiful science-fiction films of all time.
However, the director sky-rocketed to new levels of fame after his adaptation of Dune, a challenging story that takes place in a futuristic desert as a young leader comes to terms with his prophecy. Given the scope of this achievement, Villeneuve has earned the right to make as many rules as he likes, with one that he religiously enforces on his sets.
There are many directors with their own unique working habits and rituals on set, with Quentin Tarantino drinking a mimosa after every reel of film has been shot, Christopher Nolan banning chairs, and Greta Gerwig asking everyone to wear name tags. But given the rise of technology in recent years, it seems strange that more people aren’t adopting Villeneuve’s golden rule, which is to not use your phone.
Villeneuve’s work has a uniquely immersive quality that demands your entire attention. Seeing Dune at home was not an option; it’s the kind of story that requires you to see it on a big screen and give it your full and undivided attention.
There’s a weight behind every shot that reflects the care and attention to detail that went into it, with the director speaking about the many meanings and layers behind the techniques used to portray the world of Paul Atreides. You leave the cinema feeling as though you have ventured into this world yourself, which is what makes it so spectacular and freeing.
Given the all-encompassing nature of his work, his philosophy towards the creation of it makes total sense, with the director saying, “Cinema is an act of presence. When a painter paints, he has to be absolutely focused on the colour he’s putting on the canvas. It’s the same with the dancer when he does a gesture,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times.
He added: “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 relationship with each other. So cellphones are banned on my set too, since Day 1. It’s forbidden. When you say cut, you don’t want someone going to his phone to look at his Facebook account.”
It’s tricky to sometimes not worry about the future of cinema given that our attention and commitment to presence is becoming an increasingly scarce thing, but after the huge turnout for Dune that saw flocks of people returning to the big screen, perhaps we can be reassured that film is in safe hands when Villeneuve is working, and his approach to creation reflects the mesmerising effect of his work when silently sitting in a dark room and watching the magic unfold.
