Filmmaking is getting interesting with the increasing access to Artificial Intelligence. Still, according to Dune director Denis Villeneuve, it will never be a match for the organic creative process of filmmaking. In a conversation with fellow director Joe Wright, Villeneuve talked at length about the use of AI in creative projects.
“The thing about cinema I love the most is this collective act of creativity, where you try to make poetry … at the end of the day it is cinema, it is storytelling,” he said. The director further implied that if in the future, he were to use computers to create stories, it might be interesting but would “absolutely miss the collective act of creativity, which is so beautifully human.”
The French Canadian director garnered acclaim for his work in the Dune films. During the conversation, he also gave insights into his creative process, especially his idea that inspired the design of the gigantic sandworms. “We were really obsessed with the idea to try to make this beast look as realistic as possible,” the director said, adding that his educational background in biology really helped with the ideation.
He and the production designer Patrice Vermette studied various animal species to analyze how the worm skin could withstand the harsh desert environment. Besides being an enormous spectacle, the Dune franchise has its intimate moments as well. “‘Part Two’ is a love story, and the whole movie structure is on that love story,” Villeneuve explained.
He focused on the relationship between Paul [Timothée Chalamet] and Chani [Zendaya] and found ways to enhance the scene to improve their connection. However, he admitted that not all filming days were rosy. “There’s always at least one day where I’m a shitty director, where it feels like you’re an instrument out of tune,” he said.
The director highlighted the importance of reshooting scenes when necessary, despite the initial feeling of guilt/shame. In April, it was confirmed by the studio that a third sequel to the Dune franchise is under development based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, set 12 years after the events of the first novel.
