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Why Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Enforces No-Cell-Phone Policy on His Movie Sets? Find Out
Dune director Denis Villeneuve explains why he bans cell phones on his movie set as he finds technology extremely addictive. Find details inside.
Dune director Denis Villeneuve has strictly forbidden cell phones on the sets of his films in order to maintain focus and connection among those who are present during filming.
Recently, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the Dune: Part Two filmmaker stated that he banned smart devices, stating, "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."
Describing filmmaking as such a collaborative art that requires undivided attention, Villeneuve used the analogy of a painter's process of making art or that of a dancer's focus on perfecting a gesture. The Academy Award-nominated director emphasized that complete immersion in the process of art-making leads to improved creative synergy.
He said, "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."
For Villeneuve, allowing phones on set disrupts focus between takes. He added, "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."
Denis Villeneuve further vented a general opinion against the power of technology concerning society's fate. Describing technology as a source of addiction, he termed it a drug. Human reliance on algorithms has disjointed a society that he claims harbors shallow-minded thoughts.
Based on the works of Frank Herbert, Villeneuve's Dune films have gained a lot of attention. The first one came out in October 2021, and the sequel was released in March 2024. It added new stars Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Austin Butler, along with the leads reprising their roles, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
Dune and Dune: Part Two are both now available to stream on Max.
ALSO READ: Will Dune: Prophecy Return For Season 2? Here’s What We Know So Far
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