For many film fans Denis Villeneuve’s films are among the best of the 21st century. While Quentin Tarantino refuses to watch his Dune adaptationsThe French-Canadian director has many fans around him who look forward to whatever he releases. From “Sicario” to “Arrival” to “Blade Runner 2049,” Villeneuve has proven he has a knack for making thought-provoking blockbusters that feature plenty of ambition, style and great performances from his actors. However, he enforces strict rules on set to ensure his actors can concentrate on the task at hand.
In an interview with the Los Angeles TimesVilleneuve revealed that he shares a similar mindset to Christopher Nolan, as they both ban cell phones on set. In his own words:
“Cinema is an act of presence. When a painter paints, he must be absolutely focused on the color he is putting on the canvas. The same applies to the dancer when he makes a gesture. With a filmmaker you have to do that too.” A crew, and everyone has to concentrate and be completely in the present, listening to each other and relating to each other. That’s why cell phones have been banned on my set since day 1. If you say cut, you are I don’t want anyone answering their phone to look at their Facebook account.
Many people would argue that this is a valid point of view since cell phones are a nuisance. However, the good news is that Villeneuve is allowing his colleagues to use other objects that Nolan has reportedly banned.
Denis Villeneuve hasn’t banned chairs on his sets (although he personally prefers to avoid them)
Christopher Nolan banned two things from his film setsbut there could be three, if Anne Hathaway is to be believed. The Dark Knight Returns star once claimed he had banned chairs, but the director’s spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, denied the report and confirmed that sitting was allowed, but smoking and cell phones were not. Denis Villeneuve also allows chairs on his sets, but told the Los Angeles Times that he doesn’t personally use them:
“When I was filming ‘Blade Runner (2049)’ I had back problems because I was sitting a lot. That’s why my cinematographer Greig Fraser and I decided to stand for the ‘Dune’ films to move as little as possible “footprints so we can be flexible and quick to keep the blood flowing to be woken up. Maybe for the producers in the video village.
Overall, more filmmakers should consider banning cell phones. If Nolan and Villeneuve — two of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers — think they’re a bad idea, they have to deflect to some degree. Still, it’s good to know that Villeneuve allows his colleagues to sit down on long days of filming.
