How Denis Villeneuve Directs a Film (Filmmaking / Directing Advice)

In today’s video we feature Denis Villeneuve and his best filmmaking and directing advice!
Denis Villeneuve is a French Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, for Maelström in 2001, Polytechnique in 2009, Incendies in 2011 and Enemy in 2013. Internationally, he is known for directing several critically acclaimed films, including the thrillers Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), as well as the science fiction films Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
His next film, Dune (2021), based on Frank Herbert's novel of the same name is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2021
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TIMESTAMPS⏰
00:00 Intro
00:37 Prep then Improvise
02:14 Overcome failures by acceptance
05:00 Maintain your Identity
06:07 Create tension with realism
08:30 Qualities of a great DP
09:47 Seek stronger people
11:20 Accept that you don’t know everything
12:52 Film real environments
14:40 Listen to better ideas
17:01 Strive to create poetry
SOURCES ✔
Denis Villeneuve DP30 Interview
• DP/30: Arrival, Denis ...
• DP/30: Sicario, Denis ...
• DP/30 @ TIFF '13: Pris...
Denis Villeneuve on Directing Bladerunner 2049
• Denis Villeneuve on Di...
DUNE Movie - Denis Villeneuve Interview | Shanghai International Film Festival
• Video
Blade Runner 2049 | Denis Villeneuve | Talks at Google
• Blade Runner 2049 | De...
'Prisoners' director Denis Villeneuve in Studio Q
• 'Prisoners' director D...
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[@AlterCineYT]

Who else is excited for Dune? :)

[@visualsforyou7120]

It's been my most anticipated movie for months. It's kind of painful having to wait.

[@oniriscope]

I sincerely hope we’ll be able to experience it this year...

[@AllThingsFilm1]

I love Villeneuve's work. I think Blade Runner 2049 is another masterpiece. So, I am very excited for "Dune".

[@AlterCineYT]

@@oniriscope Very likely with limitations at least!

[@Zaz5y]

@@AllThingsFilm1 Blade Runner 2049 is honestly in my top 3 favorite films of all time. It’s really a modern masterpiece.

[@proteekbasu5691]

This guy is so talented, he's not the next Cameron or Nolan, he's the first Villeneuve

[@lilmilontiktok]

Hes better

[@redgoatfbi1554]

yea man, he rose to their levels & is a unique

[@hekikoka5792]

James Cameron isn’t even in the same league as him!

[@nobad6843]

Hes better than nolan, his films are much more vivid…and cameron is different

[@yup9451]

Nolan is best still for insanely big ideas and I've been his biggest fan for years, but damn... Denis has become my new fav director since Prisoners/ Sicario. Denis is the better director when it comes to its films' humanity. The feelings you get from his films are unbelievable. Nolan is not that much of a personal/ emotional director. His films feel a bit distanced. Perfect example is TDK vs The Batman. The latter is such a character piece, it's emotion, it's amazing. TDK are masterpieces in a different way

[@dem1456]

Villeneuve + Deakins + Zimmer = ✨

[@zamirstuff]

I will always mourn Jóhannsson :'(

[@jessica5497]

@@zamirstuff 🤍🤍🤍

[@luisacosta4393]

I love how highly he speaks about Deakins. A director can’t make his vision come true, if you don’t have a person that can tell a story through a camera.

[@adityaparmar6433]

Can't wait for dune.. This guy has the best rate in sci fi along with tarkovsky and Nolan

[@omarahmad3700]

“...the poetic aspect of tension is coming from the absence of something...” - Denis Villeneuve

[@DelightLovesMovies]

I love Denis Villeneuve and his films. I can listen to him talk about it all day.

[@dfreez]

This will be the director of the century for me. I aspire to be as confident in my ideas and ideologies as him. Great documentary. Very well put together

[@AlterCineYT]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this

[@SlugfestWizard]

Villeneuve...so well spoken as a director.

[@trediaz4012]

A true artist. Gifted beyond my imagination.

[@manuelmessner7908]

"i love people that are stronger than me" and i love to listen to people that are smarter than me Thanks for this great video

[@JayJoel97]

Denis Villeneuve is incredible - how in the world does he turn these fantastic movies around so quickly?? Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), Sicario (2015), Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) 👏 👏

[@AllThingsFilm1]

I love these interviews with Directors. There is so much to learn from and be inspired by them.

[@AlterCineYT]

Definitely :) glad you enjoyed this

[@pierrezapata90]

Absolutely ecstatic for Dune! Been waiting this whole pandemic hah

[@travisspazz1624]

The best director for like 12 years now! Not a single miss!!

[@isaackmojica8302]

paul thomas anderson for me

[@mathieuregniez769]

Hum...Incendies, Polytechnique and Blade Runner 2049 ? And best director really ? I mean, ther are Robert Reggers, Ari Aster, Bong Joon-Ho or Damien Chazelle who are faaar better than him. Villeneuve is a yes man, a good one but a yes man

[@isaackmojica8302]

@@mathieuregniez769 Roger eggers is my favorite of that list

[@mathieuregniez769]

@@isaackmojica8302 The Lighthouse😍😍😍

[@JuanHernandez-ze3si]

@@mathieuregniez769 All the director you mentioned are great and all but their films a lot of the time requires the viewers to be a fan of film in general, with a higher understanding of the medium. What's great about Denis Villeneuve is that he can make films that will be engaged and be enjoyed by both avid film viewers as well as average cinema-goers. With the exception of "ENEMY" which is not really embraced by the latter.

[@robertobuatti7226]

Very inspirational and insightful words from a fantastic Filmmaker. I could listen to him all day on the process of Filmmaking and the magic of cinema.

[@AlterCineYT]

Glad you enjoyed this!

[@robertobuatti7226]

@@AlterCineYT Oh yes definitely, thank you for the video absolutely loved it.

[@malicsgabor]

Best of his generation.

[@ashwinkusuma320]

i just finished making my first film... its been a lifelong dream to make a movie.... this video has given great great joy!! thank you so much for this!!

[@AlterCineYT]

Congrats on your first film! I hope it went well and glad you enjoyed this one!

[@SightForMemories]

Remember form and presence... and also a slither of good luck :)

[@jobsmine]

I think Denis is by far one of the best directors of this present time. He's even better than Nolan as a director but his scripts are written in very few words compared to Nolan. Nolan on the other hand might have better story writings but he suffers from over exposition and thus isn’t a flushed-out director as Denis. The two are phenomenal actors with each having a unique advantage and choices over the other. Nolan is good at making blockbuster films with a bit faster editing with close-up shots. If you take notice Nolan never ever shoots a wide scene. Denis on the other hand does a wide shot. This is why Denis will probably be ranked a bit higher than Nolan in terms of directing, and his movies are more likely to win Oscars than Nolan. Warner Bros are really lucky to have them as their future partner. Too bad Nolan went to Universal now tho.

[@spyral00]

I feel like Nolan has something a bit immature showing up in his films. There's always a childish, unfinished quality to them, behind all the fantastic, ambitious writing and directing. DV, on the other hand, seems always more mature and like his movies are talking to full-grown adults, while harboring an equal amount of creativity and ambition than Nolan's films. In the end, I like both of them, but I have a slight preference for DV's work.

[@jobsmine]

@@spyral00 couldn’t agree more.

[@animeking1853]

​@@spyral00there is no comparison between Nolan and DV. Nolan can't make movie like blade runner and DV can't make movie like inception

[@spyral00]

@@animeking1853 I don't like Nolan... is not what I said at all. I'm glad he exists and is able to make movies. The prestige is one of my favorite films. As for comparing them, well, I just did, so yes it's possible.

[@oniriscope]

Denis Villeneuve is clearly a visionary Director! From his approach to filmmaking to the feeling after experiencing his films is almost as if he prints in others a part of his identity. His films are haunting! I still think to ENEMY ending. His filmography has the same kind of aura as of Andreï Tarkovski! Thanks a ton for sharing these lesson without quoting or changing the original discourse.

[@AlterCineYT]

He is an incredible genius. We'll always strive to deliver their original message. Glad to enjoyed!

[@joaovitor9673]

I dont see nothing of Tarkovsky on his work, i think Nuri Bilge Ceylan works resemble more of that Andrei Tarkovsky.

[@oniriscope]

@@joaovitor9673 hmm... interesting. I find Villeneuve movies to be very intimate and it makes even more sense watching this AlterCine lesson/Edit (he does it “his way”). Film sometimes ends up being a very subjective thing and that’s exactly the beauty of cinema in my opinion, as long as we feel something that’s what matters.

[@Angels-3xist]

I once heard that life is creation and creation is the easiest and most immediate response to death. The layers of creation he expresses his passion over each have their own individual form of life in their process and he appreciates every single one of them such as the visual and freeform simplicity within storyboarding or the complex social collaboration in working with teams and sets. I suppose one of the difficulties is learning how to appreciate the more abstract forms that the creation lives through, such as arguing with a producer. That must be part of how the life takes shape, too... I guess it’s whether it really is helping the life of the creation or stifling it that becomes the issue.

[@PeloquinDavid]

I really enjoyed this. I've now seen most of Villeneuve's films and what I most appreciate is his ability to inflict complex emotional gut punches upon the audience while also challenging your brain to figure out what's happening. It's the particular balance/mix of those two things that's his trademark, I think. Dune will be a challenge for me in this regard, however, because I already know the story very well and won't likely have too many mysteries to figure out in the film. I still want/expect to have my gut wrenched in unexpected ways, mind you... and some unexpected "pretty pictures" / "eye candy" would be nice too!

[@emasubba3104]

Watching Villeneuve talk about cinema is beautiful, he talks with so much passion and zeal about his work.. I feel its a privilege to get to enjoy movies created by him.

[@thejacobbunn]

Thanks so much for getting an interview with him. I really enjoy his insights especially after watching and growing from his movies!

[@Artat4k]

Thank you for doing this video

[@mireillelebeau2513]

I learn so much Thanks for this interview

[@filmsbydiek7316]

So good. Great to compile all of this wisdom and inspiration from perhaps the greatest working director today. Thank you!

[@AlterCineYT]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@FordFrames]

my favorite director!!

[@selectyourchoice1321]

He is one of my favourite director.

[@yashark1893]

Thank you for creating these inspirational videos. So much to learn.

[@AlterCineYT]

Glad you like them!

[@Jimbrosss]

thx for making a video of my favorite director!

[@AlterCineYT]

No problem :)

[@secretsofdune]

Great video. Very well put together. Well done!

[@AlterCineYT]

Thank you! Dune ❤️❤️❤️

[@vinceduque7115]

Just saw Sicario again on the big screen in Paris - so brilliant I wanted to get to know Denis as a filmmaker - thanks for this. What a great video. Merci beaucoup.

[@stagename2]

His explication of tension is invaluable

[@erikschwartz1214]

Arrival is a Dune prequel. The aliens are guild navigators on No-Ships

[@bookeblade]

My favorite director working today,” master

[@mupicap7927]

He always using one character POV, really focus on the character

[@hauntedhose]

Just found this channel...love it! I’d love to see a retrospect on S. Craig Zahler 👈

[@AlterCineYT]

Glad you're enjoying our channel! Thanks for the suggestion, we'll look into Craig :)

[@hauntedhose]

@@AlterCineYT Zahler has a very stylized depiction of violence or bursts of violence used very effectively...it has an effect that really affirms the danger presented on screen while reinforcing the narrative...I find this technique really commands the hero’s struggle and leaves us no choice, but to helplessly root for the protagonist....👍

[@AlterCineYT]

@@hauntedhose Awesome insight! Very well and concisely said. Sounds a bit like Villeneuve!

[@maniravandi5983]

Awesome

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

A modern master

[@MikePhilbin1966]

Sounds like a great guy to work with. :)

[@DelightLovesMovies]

Thanks for sharing AlterCine.

[@AlterCineYT]

No problem, glad you enjoyed this!

[@SnoopyDoofie]

Liberating a director by letting them do it as they see fit is the way to make a great film. But letting a music composer write the score without ever seeing the film makes an even greater film.

[@D3cker1]

"I have more control by delegating to other people" 😄😄

[@brickstyles8345]

0:20 did he direct this shot too. it's like the last confrontation bn Emily Blunt's Character and Alejandro lol

[@giambronefilms1668]

I liked Blade Runner 2049 significantly better than the original. I saw BR in the theater a couple years back when they re-released, and it did not hold up as I had expected it. I just was not engaged at all.

[@christianhodgson5201]

what is that handheld lens thing he and Deakins are always looking through?

[@KenTWOu]

Director's viewfinder allows them to frame shots without carrying entire camera around.

[@alizhanseit5650]

💯👍🏼

[@andrewhill5974]

6:03 song?

[@AlterCineYT]

That's a score from Blade Runner 2049!

[@andrewhill5974]

@@AlterCineYT i found it- Hans Zimmer "Mesa"

[@jonathanmorrison9439]

He looks like Tom Ford in that suit but with more hairline

[@skoomamuch356]

why his movies are great? he plans ahead unlike JJ Abrams

[@Bopo]

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[@Valkonnen]

Dune was the most contrived and lackluster film I've seen in some time. NOTHING happens in the film and it looks like a Dior Ad from Vogue. I can't belive that people actually like it.

[@3-y86]

Lol he said bring realism, WTF he used in every time unrealistic light. What the fuck he talking about. If there will be realism he never be used studio lights.