Dune: How Denis Villeneuve Designed the Ornithopters

Dune director Denis Villeneuve walks us through how the iconic ornithopters were brought to life on screen.
Dune, based on the Frank Herbert novel of the same name, is out now in theaters and HBO Max.
#IGN #Movies #Dune

[@JfrancoisRicard]

Man, when the ships in the movie turn out to be cooler than what you imagined when you read the books, thats dope.

[@marcosrecio4062]

Thats so sad,considering most of the ships looks like tubes,spheres and squares

[@paultrygstad4771]

Villeneuve has proven himself to be one of the best and most special filmmakers working today, esp with this film. his creativity and freshness, dedication to the source material, and commitment to practical effects/perfect shot really shines through his work, elevating Dune above its peers

[@flybeep1661]

Well said.

[@dominiquepowell3158]

Facts!

[@KermitDaGrung]

He’s one of the best Science fiction directors of our age. Like a new Ridley Scott of a new generation.

[@SumtingWong343]

He is slowly becoming one of the greats of all time. Taking on massive, risky, and extremely ambitious projects like Bladde Runner and Dune back to back is just absolutely insane. Had to that an impeccable filmography.

[@fureversalty]

Him and Chris Nolan both are excellent directors. Any movie they make is great.

[@krakesh5915]

Dune is one heck of a movie. The visuals , the intense music, the characters everything is top notch

[@vincybadman871]

Hecking yea

[@johnpanicker7590]

The visuals are the most interesting thing about it. Everything else falls flat.

[@silvesterstaloney8838]

@@johnpanicker7590 you need to see more than once to appreciate the movie.

[@Roxar96]

@@silvesterstaloney8838 Truth

[@jinxthesweet2837]

@@silvesterstaloney8838 no they don’t. I’ve heard many of complaints about the movie that make sense. Stop acting like they’re wrong.

[@jordanleopold93]

Give this man the entire series please. This was his dream and he did an absolute spectacular job!

[@KlingonCaptain]

He is actually scheduled to direct the TV series pilot for "Dune Sisterhood."

[@miltontavares9506]

Denis was born for Dune like Peter Jackson was born for LOTR.

[@fl260]

People will boycott it if they don't. Cool name btw!

[@993mike]

After being a life-long sci-fi fan who's kind of "scene it all" in the movies, the Ornithopters were such a breath of creative fresh air

[@szn1580]

They were amazing

[@renjithravindran5018]

Seen...

[@topherjn]

@@renjithravindran5018993mike's jeu de mots was too subtle for someone with your limited grasp on the English language.

[@evanlouanthony]

@@topherjn he should’ve only emphasized the word scene.

[@justmemyselfandi7760]

Exactly! My hands were itching to have a go at replicating the design on some CAD software.

[@Eraserhedd]

The sound design will win the Oscar next year.

[@YunGGinxTD]

Hell nahh, you trippn, its horrible if you ask me

[@martinsmolik2449]

@@YunGGinxTD Nobody is asking you tho

[@Eraserhedd]

@@YunGGinxTD please see a doctor. Your language pattern may indicate a stroke.

[@bilalkahhaleh3403]

The score as well!

[@marcodekretser]

Absolutely! One of my favourite sounds was the subtle clicks when the Baron turns on his suspensor. The glistening of spice in the air was also 🤌🤌

[@Justbleed434]

Villeneuve singlehandedly saving SciFi cinema.

[@bobbyologun1517]

*cough* alex garland *cough*

[@prakharpaliwal8536]

@@bobbyologun1517 hear hear🥂 Annihilation blew me away.

[@titteryenot1136]

Rubbish

[@spicymchaggis6581]

Truth

[@crisp619]

Arrival is indescribably magnificent. BR 2049 is an enthralling enchantment. Dune is a meditation. Villeneuve is the Kwisatz Haderach of scifi cinema.

[@SombraCheeks]

This man respects the source material so much, it is truly inspiring. Frank Herbert would be proud seeing this film.

[@Hobbitude]

Stanley Kubrick too 👍

[@prakharpaliwal8536]

@@Hobbitude Kubrick was amazing but he valued his vision over the source material. Like in The Shining.

[@markyonline1]

Couldn't imagine a better director for this movie. Also, interesting that he was also aware that Herbert was inspired by Lawrence of Arabia.

[@tamie341]

Herbert would've started asking Denis for advice lol he improved on Dune in every way possible.

[@Leitis_Fella]

@@tamie341 Have Brian imbibe the spice poison and see what Frank thinks in his ancestral memory

[@miketacos9034]

This guy made practical effects for the aircraft. This dude is insane in the best way.

[@alexandersalmas21]

The way the wings change orientation when the 'thopter pulls back to slow down and land... so sick.

[@cloudyaperture4910]

Very similar to how a helicopter rotor system behaves when the aircraft is maneuvering.

[@OptimusMonk01]

@@cloudyaperture4910 Not at all like that ffs

[@OptimusMonk01]

They would drop like a stone, not dive the way shown in the film

[@Keria666WHY]

@@OptimusMonk01 not necessarily - keep in mind that most of the mass is in the front, which means the front would dive first. and the wings, even if folded (or the elevators), may create some sort of control surfaces that would allow to pitch up after the dive.

[@Hawk7886]

@@OptimusMonk01 it entirely depends on where the center of mass and center of lift are on the craft.

[@jakegore8265]

The armor, the architecture, the ships and vehicles... just amazing art direction.

[@marcosrecio4062]

Where? Everything Is bland as hell, 5 min in Photoshop tops

[@jakegore8265]

@@marcosrecio4062 clown opinion

[@marcosrecio4062]

@@jakegore8265 if amazing art direction is a bunch of generic Marvel suits and squares and spheres for buildings and ships, the clown opinion isnt mine

[@stevemuzak8526]

By far one of the best sci-fy movies ever made. Incredible. Watch it in IMAX.

[@tamie341]

Agreed. Imax is the only way.

[@remyazharyyosef1811]

They nailed the designs. Give them the Oscars already.

[@ukiyoideas2215]

Bless the filmmaker and his adaptation Bless his Part 1 and his Part 2 May his films shut down the haters May he keep making Dune movies for his people

[@JoseTapia-qp5lc]

When is release date

[@ukiyoideas2215]

@@JoseTapia-qp5lc of what ?

[@juanfernandez1696]

@@JoseTapia-qp5lc December 2023

[@houlinfan4140]

We need him to turn all the books in to movies

[@VividAMVs]

@@houlinfan4140 but slowly, we want him fresh for each movie not like Jackson who was exhausted after TLOTR

[@ayotundeayoko5861]

IGN...this is a masterpiece your reviewer didn't do justice to. That review was criminal

[@salamandiusbraveheart4183]

IGN loves transformers and Avengers. Go figure

[@majinraptor]

But but.... F&F 9 was better than Dune - IGN Reviewer

[@sephrider]

That review was an embarrassment.

[@tamie341]

@@salamandiusbraveheart4183 IGN loving marvel and modern star wars more than this movie is a damn tragedy. They lose all relevance for that stance.

[@jmckendry84]

@@tamie341 maybe people should just accept that different people have different opinions, and stop whining every time some reviewer doesn't agree with them?

[@waferion474]

The new movie's ornithopters reminded me a lot of the 1992 Dune PC game's ornithopters. Especially when compared to the 1984 movie or the 2000 miniseries the resemblance is quite remarkable.

[@OptimusMonk01]

because they literally took them from there

[@smash461986]

The ones in the games had bird wings as ornithology is the study of birds and not insects. Looks cool though.

[@waferion474]

@@smash461986 Not really bird wings in Cryo's 1992 game. Different from the movie's wings, sure, but they do fold backwards quite similarly. The game's aircraft does resemble an insect, and it's body shape is very much like the movie's. It's by no means identical, but still quite close.

[@dungeoneering1974]

Best ship design in a movie since the original X-Wing fighter.

[@razzberri1406]

I’m so glad Denis is getting all the praise he so very much deserves.

[@ultra_cosmic]

Masterpiece of a movie, it exceeded my already high expectations. Everything about this movie is beautiful; from the subtlety, slow paced dialogue, visuals, action, and storytelling. Everything worked so well!

[@charleslaine]

It's better on the second watching, especially the third act. The subtle sub-context comes through a lot better.

[@henryhudaya6314]

Agree, this such every ascpect are beautiful.

[@TheBoss-jc6le]

Agreed!! Best movie I've watched all year

[@maboleth]

Watched it 5 times already. One time in 4D, one in IMAX, 2 in 3DReal and 1 in 2D. So there! Could watch it every day, as far as I'm concerned. And always notice something new.

[@DigitalDuelist]

They need to give this guy all the money he asks for for anything he wants to make. Dune was the first movie I've sent to watch twice in a long time. Even better on the second viewing too.

[@spamquisition4046]

11 ton prop holy hell, that's dedication from Denis and the whole crew!

[@Karakura002king]

And they even made one really 'fly' for that scene...dedication!

[@cloudyaperture4910]

The fact that they chartered the Antonov An-225, the only one of its kind, to move them into the desert is impressive.

[@peterslaby9782]

The way they pulled off the ornithopters was amazing. It seemed absolutely real despite how outside the realm of actual vehicles are.

[@mwsjohn]

The ornithopters were best realized thing from the film. Absolutely amazing.

[@terrasai2857]

Such a talented yet humble director!

[@Etaukan]

These were by far my favorite bit of tech in the film. Loved seeing them fly.

[@fantact]

The ornithopter has more screentime than any actor, lol.

[@redbarchetta8782]

Well... but it makes its presence known. :)

[@fantact]

@@redbarchetta8782 Im not complaining ;)

[@Calle19881]

may ornithopter win his first oscar next year

[@devin7tm]

The ornithopter design is so perfect!

[@Qba86]

The ornitopter looks great. The closest we came to a decent design was probably the 1992 Cryo game -- until now.

[@Balloonbot]

Well done to the amazing concept artists on this movie. Can't be easy to bring one guys abstract vision to the screen..

[@jzilla1234]

Denis didn't design it personally, there is a whole department making this happen, following his direction

[@iredomi3733]

yes

[@Azureneedle]

Many props to the whole crew who helped make this film happen.

[@Whitestripes08]

Feels like such a passion project for Denis. Love it.

[@joerig96]

Ornithopter design remind me of old Dune PC DOS games

[@szn1580]

The vehicles in this movie were amazing

[@Tango_Mike]

The movie was fantasticaly beautiful! The soundtrack, the photography, the casting, the costume design, everything was on point but the special thing for me is the Denis Villeneuve touch. How he uses just a few quick shots to perfectly translate the narrative like he did in Sicario, Prisoners and especially in Arrival. Loved how he did it with some of the dialogues that took a few paragraphs in the books. Man's a genius. Absolute legend!

[@StoatDog]

It's an incredible achievement and a fantastic cinematic experience. 10/10

[@BHCha-]

Go see this movie on the big screen. Visually stunning.

[@mukhlisz]

thank you Denis for gifting us with this! Godspeed with Part 2!

[@renarddesneiges]

"For more Dune, why not check out our review of the film and for everything else, stick with IGN" ...Don't go see the review, it's a pretty bad review.

[@DanSilverhound]

They seriously need a redo. Everything about that review was just so off the mark, as if cinematic language just flew over their heads. Even tho it was a story divided into 2 parts, every scene was packed and stacked with enough to inform the viewer about what is going on and the history of the world. From paper and ceramics, to costuming and imagery, it was perfect Arthurian Fantasy Science Fiction

[@creekandseminole]

Honestly Ben Shapiro did one of the best reviews of the film out there lol

[@salamandiusbraveheart4183]

They should be ashamed.

[@wazzuper11]

copium overdose

[@solodolotrevino]

@@creekandseminole that’s funny because almost every big movie his review is like “didn’t like it. Too woke. Walked out halfway”.

[@benjaminperez7328]

Cockpit’s faceted panes like an insect’s eye. Nice detail. Reminds me of a Hind-A “greenhouse.” 🚁🚁🚁

[@StillOnTrack]

Yeah those ornithopters were amazing. All the ships were. Those ones in the beginning blew me away too. So refreshing!

[@salamandiusbraveheart4183]

This guy is an artisan filmmaker

[@corujariousa]

That vehicle looks great! Congrats to the creators. This latest movie managed to be better than the original. Congrats for the better cast choices (variety and talent).

[@jonbrouwer4300]

One of the best movies I've seen in my life. I'm going to the theater every weekend until they don't show it anymore!

[@sharukh0369]

IGN ranked and reviewed F9 better then Dune. Wtf😒

[@masondunaway3099]

This man is a treasure

[@naomm8832]

everyone say thank you denis villeneuve 🙏🏻

[@beskarman38]

Merci Beaucoup, monsieur Villenueve.

[@nealhinvest6682]

Fascinating. Hard work pays off. Impressive and engaging film.

[@thesea4120]

As someone who is currently doing games art and specialising in concept art i'd love to be able to work on films like this!

[@ElJorro]

The real stars of the movie.

[@Plathismo]

A terrific adaptation of the greatest science fiction novel of all time. So thrilled Part Two is being made--I really didn't think it would happen.

[@skipsteel]

Deni has this organic approach to lighting that is unsurpassed.

[@nemomarc7841]

The most impressive scenes for me on Arrakis and the Ornithoptere the machines with dragonfly wings but what an idea !

[@aetherblackbolt1301]

The prop Ornithopter was 11 TONNES? Thats honestly crazy to think about how much effort goes into getting these fantastic scenes in beautiful locations. Well done to everyone involved in Dune, truly a wonderful movie that made me forget about the real world and be engrossed in its world.

[@afrotron]

give concept artists credit too

[@TeddyLeppard]

Easily the most faithful portrayal of the book so far in this first half of the movie.

[@microwavegommmm916]

Cannot wait for part 2. Coom worthy visuals

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

We need a directors cut…. Highly confident nearly and hour of stuff was cut. Jason Momoa even wants one 🥲

[@dstyer6128]

We're getting a second movie, so eventually we'll get a 7 hour full directors cut lol.

[@faded1to3black]

Don't count on it. The director explicitly said what you see in the final edit is the final cut, and he sees cut footage as "dead" when removed. He also had an extra hour or more worth of footage from blade runner 2049, but we'll never see it, unless WB hires someone to make an "extended" version without the director's input at all.

[@themexican8720]

@@faded1to3black Well, if the Director cut the Footage himself it wouldn’t be much a of “Director’s” Cut would it lol More like an Editor’s Cut.

[@faded1to3black]

@@themexican8720 and if the director cut the footage himself, it would be a directors cut..

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

@@faded1to3black Wouldn’t the footage we saw in-theaters or on HBO be the theatrical cut…

[@RoyJNg]

Would be even more cooler if they added the Sonic tank and the Devastator tank too, both were from the Dune 2 and Dune 2000 RTS game.

[@qq312qq]

Deeply love it when he saying FOCUS :))))

[@Orgruk]

Oh, the ornithopter shot with Paul & Gurney was done in camera, as they say! Very impressive.

[@Krullio]

Love this design! Great to hear him about it. Did hope he would have said “Using the 10 pixel image in the Dune 2000 game as a starting point”😁

[@simonwalsh4372]

It was awesome to see the Ornithopter design based on Herbert’s biomimicry principles. The ability to operate each wing independently would maximise Ornithopter agility similar to the dragonfly original. Dragonflies can fly with extremely rapid, jerky changes in direction and speed that would challenge Ornithopter crews without having seatbelt and G-suit analogues.

[@johnonokes7967]

Loved how the heighliners looked like the worms too, nicely done 🤘🤘

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

IMHO, the _ornithopters_ in this movie are aesthetically speaking just about perfect.

[@bursegsardaukar]

Well, the ornithopters are much better designed than what we saw in the David Lynch movie and the Dune miniseries. The Dune 2000 cutscenes version was okay though

[@mitchoconnell6944]

They were so freaking cool

[@MADDROBBO666]

My favorite vehicle in Dune

[@MrVonzine]

The man needs to be in charge of the next Star Wars saga.

[@jeanallard5649]

Fantastique. Bravo et merci

[@jimalbi]

Villeneuve est-il le nouveau Kubrick?

[@jmaguire2232]

0:16 is a work of art

[@kroon275]

They should have been filmed to actually move like dragonflies. Like very abruptly up, down, and side to side.

[@bursegsardaukar]

Will there be a model kit for this in the future?

[@DARisse-ji1yw]

Nailed the thopters!

[@Eikinkloster]

This ornithopter reminds me of the Tormentor Strogg flying vehicle in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, a highly improved design for that matter.

[@redbarchetta8782]

Best movie of the year.

[@johnburton6470]

A concept artist designed the ornithopter. Denis sat there and gave notes. How is this artist not even NAMED here?!?!

[@kennethwood4501]

Ornithopters, YES! I'll take two please. Thank You!

[@dejjibd424]

Awesome movie! See it on the big screen!

[@cruznix4741]

Hands down one of the coolest VTOL designs in science fiction

[@afti03]

the atmosphere is just hypnotising!

[@angelowentzler9961]

The scene that impressed me most though was LEto using his poison tooth. SO MUCH better than either the 1984 film OR my imagination

[@arturklemens4543]

Finally, our Star Wars.

[@Uhaneole]

Can’t wait for parts 2 thru 12ish? (If they going two movies per book)

[@Ryrynz2000]

Love this guy. He was the one meant to do this.

[@DelightLovesMovies]

Wow they rented and Antonov 225 to move their equipment and stage. That must have been a huge expense.

[@mawortz]

give this guy an Oscar already

[@Dertrend]

Best Ornithopter design so far.

[@Garlly34]

What a legendary director.

[@hal1971]

When a director put an 11th tone machinery on a crane to get the perfect sun lighning. You know this man is dedicated.

[@crisp619]

This movie is a meditation.

[@ibanez9179]

Gives me that feeling when you're not sure is it past memory dream or is it something about to come or realize in future.

[@johnlocke4715]

Beautiful movie. Probably the best I've seen since Sicario.

[@gibean]

its impressive with a relatively low budget compared to pirates of the carribean to achieve a lot of practical set and equipments

[@gerardolramos]

Brilliant 👏 The ornithopters blew me away!

[@BHCha-]

great movie

[@funtechu]

As someone who always pictured the ornithopters in the books as flying like a dragonfly, the movie just blew me away. Stop reading my mind!

[@jokke6265]

when books are put on the big screen, I'v always questioned, why they don't just do 0:15 . More often, its is often really that "easy".

[@pgbollwerk]

SO impressed with part 1. However, I'm mystified that Warner Brothers didn't have them film parts 1 and 2 at the same time, like with LOTR. They would have saved a considerable amount of money. But WB isn't known for making great decisions, so....

[@jasona5221]

MOVIE OF THE CENTURY!!! IF THERES HIGHER THAN OSCAR AWARDS THEY DESERVE IT!!!!!

[@RolandHawlett]

Genius!

[@mauijttewaal]

Real size model?! Wow.