Oh yes definitely. I assumed for sure it was CGI. Even to the point where I always thought the spider looked a bit CGI-fake. I think this shows the inherent problem with CGI. No matter how good it looks, as long as we know or think it's CGI, we see it as a fake CGI coat. Even to the point that we see it even when there's no CGI at all.
That movie was the 1st of his films that I saw. That scene freaked me the hell out! And he went and did it again in Arrival with the alien in the room with Amy Adams. He has a thing for freaking people out I think lol
And then the beauty giving way to darkness and violence. Feels like their leaving their humanity behind, and once you do, finding it again in the darkness seems impossible.
absolutely awesome, another huge moment was when the fremen were on full attack and they were all riding in sandworms. amazing stuff. unbelieve bit of cinema!!
The fact that almost all of his picks are intimate shots speaks volumes about why he is my favorite director. The common theme his films are the relation of the human spirit with the environment. Scrolling film twitter may make someone believe that his movies are a collection of colorful screenshots of landscapes, when in fact they are usually about an really introspect traversal of the universes he depicts
exactly, he understands the contrast of huge scope and settings while maintaining and focussing on the humanity of his characters. Its why his work in sci-fi specifically is so genius, the genre at its heart is very much that.
The _Dune_ shot with Paul grabbing the sand mirrors one of the last things he does before leaving Caladan for the desert world of Arrakis. He goes to a rocky coast and immerses the same hand in the sea. It's the last time he'll feel water so freely, it's the last time he'll connect with such an abundance of water, for a _long_ time. Yet right there in the sand, just as vital as water, shimmers the Spice.
It’s also the moment which show him getting in contact with spice and through it with the genetic memory. Standing up on the sand worm is the moment where he becomes a fremen AND is now able to travel Arrakis faster: „shortening the way“ -> translated in chakobsa -> „Kwisatz Haderach“. No wonder those are milestone scenes and Denis Villeneuvs favourite Dune scenes!
I love this. He not only puts his hand in the water, he also feels the sand beneath it...but doesn't pick it up. Shows who he is at that point, and when he picks up the sand in the desert later, it shows who he is becoming
Villeneuve is one of the all time greats and deserves multiple Oscars at this point. Deakins has the most incredible eye for cinematography. Villeneuve + Deakins = Addictive movie magic
Same here! Everyone in the theater felt the same. All just sat there, at the end of the movie, sort of unwilling to depart themselves from what they just experienced! It was magical. Deeply satisfying experience!
It is criminal that Incendies is not on this list. The shot of Lubna Azabal sitting on the sand with gunshots being fired in the background is one of the most haunting shots I've ever seen. Would have loved to have seen Denis being asked about it
@@MarcoBayod_MB It was with Enemy that he started to reach more mainstream success, so i suppose that's why. And even now Incendies stills a relatively obscure film. But I'm with you, it would have been cool to see it on the list.
Denis picking the shot of K sleeping from the very start of BR2049 as *the shot* that resonates with him still and his description why he chose that specific image from that film gets right to the heart of why i love the movies this guy makes so much. wonderfully said.
Paul riding the worm was one of the most epic moments I’ve ever watched in a movie. Also the movie showing you how to control it without telling you was really well done
He’s such an exceptional visual director. He didn’t even have to think about those shots, he knew what they were for each film already. Absolute genius.
It you've ever lived with a film for 2+ years, storyboarded and shot it, seen it multiple 100's of times as you're cutting it, recalling the shots is not too tough a task...
Reading his recent quote about hating dialogue and prefers the power of "pure image and sound", yeah, dude absolutely backs it up lol. Even if I disagree with him, I definitely see why his scenes are often stunning.
That entire sequence in dune 2 when paul learns to ride the worm is one of the greatest shots of all time. you literally stop breathing as the sand fills the screen and the viewer is pulled into the madness. Seeing the worm go up and down from pov, you are reminded of the terror and scale of these magnificent beasts and how vast and powerful the ocean of sand can be.
Villeneuve's films are some of my favorites. I love hearing him talk about these shots, and the fact that it's some of the smaller moments that his is most proud of in some of them
The fact that his favorite shot in Prisoners is basically B-roll of a tree shows how thoughtful he is with the construction of his movies. Love hearing him speak about these.
This is such an intriguing idea for an interview. I’m so used to the same old canned questions and the director and his crew having to get used to giving the same old answers and rarely getting to think outside of that box. What a breath of fresh air, and an inspiring look back at a truly breathtaking filmography.
As a quebecois, I was so happy to know Denis Villeneuve would direct Dune. I’m a big sci-fi fan and seeing a fellow quebecois being recognized enough to direct this adaptation was amazing. It’s such a tough story to bring on screen, but when I saw that Villeneuve would direct it I knew it was in good hands. In quebec cinema industry , we don’t have the budget to bring to life those kind of stories. It’s always nice to see our quebec directors having the chance to prove what they can do with an Hollywood budget.
The shot in Prisoners where they are inspecting the van at night, in the dark and rain, the black is so oppressively dark and the lights penetrating the dark. SUCH a gorgeous shot.
Love the thought process of focusing on the humanity. It makes the epic moments considerably more impactful. I think this is precisely where major studios (like Disney) often fail to deliver with big-budget movies.
I have loved his films. Arrival in particular is brilliant in every way. When he got dune, I was so happy that he gets to tell that story and show us that world
OMG! That shot of the tree in Prisoners is my favourite shot too! I even said to my parents and mates how much I love that simple shot of the tree and how much it conveys! Can't believe that is also Denis' favourite shot too!
Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today, and his cinematography is ALWAYS on point. Roger Deakins and Greig Fraser are wizards, and they both won their first Oscars working with Villeneuve!
I'm so glad that Denis has been able to move into epic scale films. He is so uniquely suited for the role. He manages to keep sight of the human elements while telling these stories of such monstrous scope.
Wow, I watched an early screening of Dune Part Two and was reminded of Lawrence of Arabia and Seven Samurai and here he picks out a favorite shot from Seven Samurai! This guy gets it.
I love how he describes these favorite shots with much detail and background information as possible. Me as someone in the audience watching these (mostly 2-3 second) scenes all the detail/lore behind it would fly right over my head but I definitely understand it watching him explain the shots
This guy and his intimate shots ... maybe that's why I feel so connected to his movies when I watch them. Denis is my favourite director. His passion for movies is not just for him. He gives it to is also.
Denis' choices for his top picks are proof to me of what a gifted director he is. He doesn't shy away from gravitas, but it's in the details and the humanity where he finds himself, and that comes through in every film he's made.
What an absolute genius! This is a such a great interview and a sample of how Denis’s mind works. Truly blessed to see his films on the big screen. What a time to be alive for film lovers!
I haven't been more excited for a film in years. Villeneuve never misses and I can't wait, my favorite living director. Watching Dune Part 2 at the Lincoln Square in NYC opening night in 70 mm.
I can't believe nobody has picked up on this yet so I will say it here. The scene shot from above as Paul moves through the huge crowd of Freman is a visual reference to him being the Kwisatz Haderach. In Dune part 1 Mohiam says "Like sifting sand through a screen we sift people". The scene from above resembles grains of sand with Paul sifting through them and being separate because he is the Kwisatz Haderach that the Bene Gesserit have been working towards all those years.
That moment in dune 2 he’s talking about had me smiling ear to ear. The feeling that it built up before this scene makes it intense, especially in IMAX
There’s no question to the love this man has for stories and I will always appreciate him for making movies that lets you sit in the moments that truly matter, small or large. This man understands sci-fi so well but understands emotion above all else and I hope he gets greenlit to do every single project he is interested in so that we get to see where his mind goes in those moments, because I personally have loved it this entire time. Finding out that he did Enemy after I had seen it before any of his other films, but then saw many others and came across that info later was like a lightbulb switch of “Oh, I’ve been keyed into his style for a long time now”
Before even watching this, i was thinking of Sicario and thought it was gonna be the exact scene he described. Such a badass shot and the score to match it was epic.
I love finding out that the director of a movie I liked also directed other movies I like, and then being like "That's surprising and yet not surprising at all." In this case, I had no idea that Sicario, BR 2049, and Dune 1&2 were all his work. And it really shows that he's committed to the full sensory experience of the movies he makes. They are not only visually remarkable, but sound wonderful. And are paced in such a way as to really allow you to take it all in.
I've always loved that shot from Prisoners. I never understood the technical aspects of it but I just loved it. This is an aspect I love about Denis films. Often time the camera would move away from plot related elements and just show you a random shot of the world the movie inhabits. It makes the movie feel more real.
I love his picks-just makes me appreciate him more. (Also, I saw Dune: Part Two last night and it's incredible-on another level compared to the first one and I loved that one too)
I heard Roger Deakins talk about the tree shot from Prisoners during a Q&A, and he basically said, it wasn't planned and it wasn't necessary to the story... It just felt right in the moment... I love that.
YES His chosen shot from Sicario is my favorite shot from any movie, ever, period. The imagery is SO LOADED with metaphor; the rough men who stand ready must literally descend and immerse themselves in the very darkness they are moving to confront. Absolutely jaw dropping shot, I all but screamed with joy in the theater.
I can confirm that the shot of Paul shaking his way up onto the sandworm hit me like a truck. Also, his thoughts on hands being completely honest by virtue of being the way we interact with the world is... really good. I like the way this dude thinks
Thank Mr. Villeneuve for making my favorite films to date, Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and that shot you mentioned is really a great shot!
That sequence in Dune 2 was me and my GFs fav part of the movie. To hear it was the most complex shot of his life is so fun because he truly pulled it off and I was smiling ear to ear when I saw it!
Was amazed by sicario when i saw it at the theater almost ten years ago. Been loving his movies ever since. And tomorrow a dune marathon, looking forward to it!
Something that stood out for me in this video was Denis explaining his favourite shot of Enemy. It wasn't his favourite shot because HE directed it. It's because of an idea implemented by someone else. There's a great team behind him with brilliant ideas that he acknowledges. There is no ego in his work and that is why is he is one of the greatest directors of our time.
I love his favorite scene from Arrival. It reminds me of my first "holy shit" moment as an adult watching sci-fi. It was in Star Trek (2009), near the beginning when Chris Pine is riding the motorcycle, and they show these massive, futuristic ship-building structures in the background obscured by haze due to the distance, but in a totally corporeal and earthbound way. I'm from the Midwest, so those shots hit so viscerally with my lived experience of early morning mist seeing silos across corn fields in the distance. It truly is a testament to the commitment to making everything as real as possible. Baking fictional set pieces into the real world using dutiful VFX that mimic real-world phenomena is so impactful, there is no wonder it's one of his favorites.
Love that you brought up that Star Trek (2009) shot. It was one of the most striking for me too with how much it grounds you to reality whilst presenting such a fantastical image! (That was a really fun movie and one of my favourites. Great casts. Sad the Kelvin Timeline franchise didn't take off as well as hoped.)
Paul riding the worm should win an oscar for vfx. It will be one of at least 2 scenes from Dune 2 that will become iconic. Nothing Frank Herbert ever wrote was so visceral and conveyed this mind blowing spectacle so intimately.
I will say, despite having read Dune, and there not really being any tension (as in fear that he would fail) because it's the main character, the sandworm ride still gave me chills. There was just a sense of inevitability or "terrible purpose" behind it. Like it was the start of something that Neither Paul or anyone in the theater would be able to stop.
i think the fact that most of his favorite shots are some intensely personal moment really shows how he has such good range with the scale of things in his movies. nobody can make things feel quite as huge as denis villeneuve, but he can also get nice up close and personal with his characters and he connects with those moments the most. He could have picked so many other epic moments but he mostly picked character moments.
I am so happy to be alive in a time where I get to experience Denis's, he truly makes the most amazing sci-fi movies and as seen in thin video and as people stated, its because of his attention to these little details that gives such depth and his way to balance these small intimare scenes with grand scenes that just creates magic.
I was also expecting him to choose wide shots of landscapes. Knowing now that he likes those intimate shots makes sense as to why his movies can make you feel what the character feels. He understands how to make the scenes he directs pull you in and feel true empathy, if not morphing into the character themselves as you go along the journey which is the movie. Maybe he is the true Lisan al Gaib.
it is endlessly funny to me that perhaps the greatest working visual director's favourite shots include close up of tree, guy sleeping in car, feet walking in sand
I would have liked to hear about 'Incendies' too. I find that movie as iconic and visually stunning as the rest in Villeneuve's body of work, albeit probably less known to a large audience. But still.
For an artist that has absolutely nailed grand scale and epic shots in many of his films, it's interesting to see how all his favourites are very intimate close ups and quite calm and quiet moments.
Denis is the best thing to come out of Quebec since poutine
With Jean-Marc Vallé (may he rest in peace). 2 incredible directors.
I mean, Celine Dion, many sports athletes like GSP, the quebecois are actually a lot more successful than people think.
Oui
Don’t forget about Jean-Jacques François Jacques Jean.
@@PersonneinternetI was gonna mention GSP
Finding out that tarantula was real is fairly mindblowing
Oh yes definitely. I assumed for sure it was CGI. Even to the point where I always thought the spider looked a bit CGI-fake. I think this shows the inherent problem with CGI. No matter how good it looks, as long as we know or think it's CGI, we see it as a fake CGI coat. Even to the point that we see it even when there's no CGI at all.
It's a shame they blew it up though, seemed like a good spider
so stupid @@theviniso
Same! One of the weirdest moments in a movie and genuinely disturbing. Makes sense in hindsight, it looks so good, but never would’ve guessed!
That movie was the 1st of his films that I saw. That scene freaked me the hell out! And he went and did it again in Arrival with the alien in the room with Amy Adams.
He has a thing for freaking people out I think lol
that sicario shot is beautiful
And then the beauty giving way to darkness and violence. Feels like their leaving their humanity behind, and once you do, finding it again in the darkness seems impossible.
Sicario, 2049, Dunes 1 & 2 all are beautiful throughout. Maybe even Arrival.
My favorite shot all time
Roger Deakins is a master of silhouette
I clicked this video and knew it would be that shot for Sicario. the movie has many great shots but still there is no contest
“That’s beautiful sci fi shit” 😂 Dennis is so great and now he’s made one of the best sci fi movies of all time
Needed one after the abomination created by Disney....
I mean he'd done it twice before already with both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049
Reminded me of the cast interview... "do sci-fi shit" hahaha...
That should be on his business card.
Paul standing up on the sandworm, with the music swell and the context given... one of the best moments in cinema I've ever experienced
Had goosebumps
absolutely awesome, another huge moment was when the fremen were on full attack and they were all riding in sandworms. amazing stuff. unbelieve bit of cinema!!
@@mistakay9019absolutely! the triple sandworm attack 🔥🔥🔥
My favorite shot of the first one was the backshot of Leto on the chair after he poisoned the whole room
Part 1: the shot of Leto at the table, Part 2: Feyd Rautha being made the ruler of arrakis
The fact that almost all of his picks are intimate shots speaks volumes about why he is my favorite director. The common theme his films are the relation of the human spirit with the environment. Scrolling film twitter may make someone believe that his movies are a collection of colorful screenshots of landscapes, when in fact they are usually about an really introspect traversal of the universes he depicts
Thatt's why he's so good!! He mastered the perfect mix between both which gives grandiose intimate movies !!
scrolling twitter anything will make you braindead lol
exactly, he understands the contrast of huge scope and settings while maintaining and focussing on the humanity of his characters. Its why his work in sci-fi specifically is so genius, the genre at its heart is very much that.
And that's why he dared to continnue Blade Runner. A completely work art about human condition
you nailed it, couldn't have said it better myself
Blade runner 2049: the entire movie
Ikr,?.. 💯
💯
That Film is a Visual, Intellectual Feast for the Eyes, Ears, Brain, Heart, and Soul.
One of the Few Perfect Films in/of Cinema. 🎨
To this day, it's me fave IMAX experiences
true that!! some people walked out 1.5 hours into a screening I was at. I had to fight the urge to try & change their minds lol 😂
@@necroriffmonger And how exactly would you do that? It's a terrible movie that should have never been made in the blade runner universe.
@@cristoff30 You're all alone dude.
The _Dune_ shot with Paul grabbing the sand mirrors one of the last things he does before leaving Caladan for the desert world of Arrakis.
He goes to a rocky coast and immerses the same hand in the sea.
It's the last time he'll feel water so freely, it's the last time he'll connect with such an abundance of water, for a _long_ time.
Yet right there in the sand, just as vital as water, shimmers the Spice.
Its the same hand that he put into the box in the pain test, i like that but cant articulate why yet
I hadn't even connected that. thanks for the insight. definitely has to deal with his relation to his environment.@@PropheticShadeZ
It’s also the moment which show him getting in contact with spice and through it with the genetic memory.
Standing up on the sand worm is the moment where he becomes a fremen AND is now able to travel Arrakis faster: „shortening the way“ -> translated in chakobsa -> „Kwisatz Haderach“.
No wonder those are milestone scenes and Denis Villeneuvs favourite Dune scenes!
I love this. He not only puts his hand in the water, he also feels the sand beneath it...but doesn't pick it up. Shows who he is at that point, and when he picks up the sand in the desert later, it shows who he is becoming
He has an aura of being very kind and gentle, a nice person to work with; but at the same time very focused - he knows what he wants.
He is proof the two are not mutual exclusive.
I read an interview with Josh Brolin where he said even after three movies together he has yet to hear Denis raise his voice.
@@dan32321that's actually incredible to know, as you can tell that he has a firm control over his movies.
Villeneuve is one of the all time greats and deserves multiple Oscars at this point. Deakins has the most incredible eye for cinematography.
Villeneuve + Deakins = Addictive movie magic
💯.
Team Deakins
Greig Fraser too.
@@mattmanw54301 IMO Greig Fraser is only better for action films. For everything else, I think Deakins is better.
@@SonGoku-tp8gbEverything Deakins and Denis have done together, asside from Prisoners, is an action film lol
Dune Part 2 is so incredible. I wish I didn’t have to leave the theater.
Ditto!
It's definitely the first time I left a 2h30+ movie feeling like I would have taken another hour of it.
Same here! Everyone in the theater felt the same. All just sat there, at the end of the movie, sort of unwilling to depart themselves from what they just experienced! It was magical. Deeply satisfying experience!
It is criminal that Incendies is not on this list. The shot of Lubna Azabal sitting on the sand with gunshots being fired in the background is one of the most haunting shots I've ever seen. Would have loved to have seen Denis being asked about it
I still don't get why it isn't here, too political? more than Dune?
@@MarcoBayod_MB It was with Enemy that he started to reach more mainstream success, so i suppose that's why. And even now Incendies stills a relatively obscure film. But I'm with you, it would have been cool to see it on the list.
I think it’s his best film - one of the few that comes anywhere near Come and See levels of hard to watch but still worth every frame.
I would add Polytechnique to that... I have seen it once and, to this day, it's engraved in my memory.
I think he was asked about his Hollywood movies as I'm not sure Americans know much about his previous works. It's a missed opportunity imo.
The fact that he love the intimate shots are the reason why the big moments hit deeper. His visual serve the characters and story first.
Thats a good insight.
Denis picking the shot of K sleeping from the very start of BR2049 as *the shot* that resonates with him still and his description why he chose that specific image from that film gets right to the heart of why i love the movies this guy makes so much. wonderfully said.
Really interesting how much that overlapped with the Seven Samurai shot he picked
Paul riding the worm was one of the most epic moments I’ve ever watched in a movie. Also the movie showing you how to control it without telling you was really well done
And Zendaya perfectly expressing the same emotion we all had.
My favorite shots from Villeneuve movies:
Yes.
the only one true answer
Fun fact: the Seven Samurai shot he describes at the end inspired the shot of Duncan Idaho looking at and touching the beetle in DUNE: PART ONE.
That *is* a fun fact, thanks for sharing!
SPOILER ALART: Beetles are also ancient symbols of a theme that will happen in the story with regards to Duncan
He’s such an exceptional visual director. He didn’t even have to think about those shots, he knew what they were for each film already. Absolute genius.
He would have been privy to the question layout beforehand. Especially for a segment like this that deals with a specific line of queries.
It you've ever lived with a film for 2+ years, storyboarded and shot it, seen it multiple 100's of times as you're cutting it, recalling the shots is not too tough a task...
Reading his recent quote about hating dialogue and prefers the power of "pure image and sound", yeah, dude absolutely backs it up lol.
Even if I disagree with him, I definitely see why his scenes are often stunning.
That entire sequence in dune 2 when paul learns to ride the worm is one of the greatest shots of all time. you literally stop breathing as the sand fills the screen and the viewer is pulled into the madness. Seeing the worm go up and down from pov, you are reminded of the terror and scale of these magnificent beasts and how vast and powerful the ocean of sand can be.
The sheer suspense I felt when the cinema was rumbling as the sandworm was approaching in the distance. Absolutely moving
Zendaya's final facial reaction shot pulls the entire sequence together. The relief and joy on her face is so perfectly executed.
Absolutely love the Prisoners shot.
Fun fact that shot won indiewire’s best shot of the year back in 2013
Prisoners and Sicario would have been extremely basic films in the hands of a lesser director. He took them to completely different levels.
Villeneuve's films are some of my favorites. I love hearing him talk about these shots, and the fact that it's some of the smaller moments that his is most proud of in some of them
Timestamps:
Enemy 00:15
Prisoners 1:34
Sicario 2:23
Arrival 3:16
Blade Runner 4:14
Dune 5:25
Dune Part 2 6:31
One Shot From Another Film:
Seven Samurai 7:45
The fact that his favorite shot in Prisoners is basically B-roll of a tree shows how thoughtful he is with the construction of his movies. Love hearing him speak about these.
This is such an intriguing idea for an interview. I’m so used to the same old canned questions and the director and his crew having to get used to giving the same old answers and rarely getting to think outside of that box. What a breath of fresh air, and an inspiring look back at a truly breathtaking filmography.
Villeneuve's run from 2013 to 2017 is absolutely incredible. Very hard to surpass.
don't forget incendes (2010)
Why limit it to just those years? He's continued to put out bangers.
@@TheMrKlump I think it's just really impressive to put out these three movies in just 4 years.
Kubrick made 5 all time great movies consecutively.
@@mazizazi8412 maybe, but not in such a short time frame
As a quebecois, I was so happy to know Denis Villeneuve would direct Dune. I’m a big sci-fi fan and seeing a fellow quebecois being recognized enough to direct this adaptation was amazing. It’s such a tough story to bring on screen, but when I saw that Villeneuve would direct it I knew it was in good hands. In quebec cinema industry , we don’t have the budget to bring to life those kind of stories. It’s always nice to see our quebec directors having the chance to prove what they can do with an Hollywood budget.
Hey man are you from Quebec?
Dune Part Two was unbelievable
The shot in Prisoners where they are inspecting the van at night, in the dark and rain, the black is so oppressively dark and the lights penetrating the dark. SUCH a gorgeous shot.
Roger Deakins the GOAT
Love the thought process of focusing on the humanity. It makes the epic moments considerably more impactful. I think this is precisely where major studios (like Disney) often fail to deliver with big-budget movies.
Agreed! Specially in many of his movies that have these massive epic shots, his favorites are the most subtle ones.
Benicio jolting awake and spooking Emily Blunt was brilliant as well in Sicario. Denis made that character so powerful with such little dialogue
I have loved his films. Arrival in particular is brilliant in every way.
When he got dune, I was so happy that he gets to tell that story and show us that world
My favorite shot is the entire BR 2049 movie
💯. Ikr?.
One of the Few Perfect Films in Cinema.
I would've liked to see his favorite shot from 'Incendies'
Probably the lady crying before a burning bus with people in it. Atleast it is my favourite
Or when the twin girl realised who this man was,it was very powerfull!
I would bet on one onlf the shots at the public pool judging by his other picks.
the girl sitting motionless while a bus burns behind her.
Apart from Sicario this is his best film.
OMG! That shot of the tree in Prisoners is my favourite shot too! I even said to my parents and mates how much I love that simple shot of the tree and how much it conveys! Can't believe that is also Denis' favourite shot too!
Love that he goes for intimacy and close-ups showing the tactility of his movies.
The spider shot at the end of Enemy stayed with me for weeks but all of these shots are amazing...
Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today, and his cinematography is ALWAYS on point. Roger Deakins and Greig Fraser are wizards, and they both won their first Oscars working with Villeneuve!
That Kurosawa shot is also one of my faves! No wonder I'm such a huge fan of Villeneuve
Denis is a genius! A master of the craft!
I'm so glad that Denis has been able to move into epic scale films. He is so uniquely suited for the role. He manages to keep sight of the human elements while telling these stories of such monstrous scope.
Wow, I watched an early screening of Dune Part Two and was reminded of Lawrence of Arabia and Seven Samurai and here he picks out a favorite shot from Seven Samurai! This guy gets it.
“there’s sometjing so honest about foot and hands” i love this man
I love how he describes these favorite shots with much detail and background information as possible. Me as someone in the audience watching these (mostly 2-3 second) scenes all the detail/lore behind it would fly right over my head but I definitely understand it watching him explain the shots
This guy and his intimate shots ... maybe that's why I feel so connected to his movies when I watch them. Denis is my favourite director. His passion for movies is not just for him. He gives it to is also.
This man is out here saving cinema
That shot in Prisoners of the tree really stood out to me aswell, such a unique and creative shot.
Denis' choices for his top picks are proof to me of what a gifted director he is. He doesn't shy away from gravitas, but it's in the details and the humanity where he finds himself, and that comes through in every film he's made.
That shot from Sicario is absolutely gorgeous! It's the first one that popped to my mind when I read the name of the video!
What an absolute genius! This is a such a great interview and a sample of how Denis’s mind works. Truly blessed to see his films on the big screen. What a time to be alive for film lovers!
His fav shot in Sicario is my fav shot too. The score during that scene also amplifies that shot. Always love that scene.
I haven't been more excited for a film in years. Villeneuve never misses and I can't wait, my favorite living director. Watching Dune Part 2 at the Lincoln Square in NYC opening night in 70 mm.
I can't believe nobody has picked up on this yet so I will say it here. The scene shot from above as Paul moves through the huge crowd of Freman is a visual reference to him being the Kwisatz Haderach. In Dune part 1 Mohiam says "Like sifting sand through a screen we sift people". The scene from above resembles grains of sand with Paul sifting through them and being separate because he is the Kwisatz Haderach that the Bene Gesserit have been working towards all those years.
That moment in dune 2 he’s talking about had me smiling ear to ear. The feeling that it built up before this scene makes it intense, especially in IMAX
God I love this man. He was the first modern director that made me start paying attention to directors again.
There’s no question to the love this man has for stories and I will always appreciate him for making movies that lets you sit in the moments that truly matter, small or large. This man understands sci-fi so well but understands emotion above all else and I hope he gets greenlit to do every single project he is interested in so that we get to see where his mind goes in those moments, because I personally have loved it this entire time.
Finding out that he did Enemy after I had seen it before any of his other films, but then saw many others and came across that info later was like a lightbulb switch of “Oh, I’ve been keyed into his style for a long time now”
Some credit should be given to this interviewer for actually coming up with a really interesting question for once
Denis has a legendary catalog of films. Incredible library from an incredible filmmaker.
That scene in Sicario is one of the best ever, with the music it's just wow.
Before even watching this, i was thinking of Sicario and thought it was gonna be the exact scene he described. Such a badass shot and the score to match it was epic.
seeing the hologram scene from Blade Runner in IMAX was mindblowing. one of the best movies to be seen on IMAX
I love finding out that the director of a movie I liked also directed other movies I like, and then being like "That's surprising and yet not surprising at all."
In this case, I had no idea that Sicario, BR 2049, and Dune 1&2 were all his work. And it really shows that he's committed to the full sensory experience of the movies he makes. They are not only visually remarkable, but sound wonderful. And are paced in such a way as to really allow you to take it all in.
this is great, i loved Enemy but there's like not much great behind the scenes footage, so hearing him talk about it again is such a treat ❤
Introducing us to Gosling while he's asleep, and seeing that his hand is steady even when he wakes with a start is genius
that sicario shot is so amazing
I've always loved that shot from Prisoners.
I never understood the technical aspects of it but I just loved it.
This is an aspect I love about Denis films. Often time the camera would move away from plot related elements and just show you a random shot of the world the movie inhabits.
It makes the movie feel more real.
I love his picks-just makes me appreciate him more.
(Also, I saw Dune: Part Two last night and it's incredible-on another level compared to the first one and I loved that one too)
I heard Roger Deakins talk about the tree shot from Prisoners during a Q&A, and he basically said, it wasn't planned and it wasn't necessary to the story... It just felt right in the moment... I love that.
YES
His chosen shot from Sicario is my favorite shot from any movie, ever, period.
The imagery is SO LOADED with metaphor; the rough men who stand ready must literally descend and immerse themselves in the very darkness they are moving to confront.
Absolutely jaw dropping shot, I all but screamed with joy in the theater.
I can confirm that the shot of Paul shaking his way up onto the sandworm hit me like a truck. Also, his thoughts on hands being completely honest by virtue of being the way we interact with the world is... really good. I like the way this dude thinks
Another fantastic video, every second was worth it!
Thank Mr. Villeneuve for making my favorite films to date, Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and that shot you mentioned is really a great shot!
That sequence in Dune 2 was me and my GFs fav part of the movie. To hear it was the most complex shot of his life is so fun because he truly pulled it off and I was smiling ear to ear when I saw it!
Was amazed by sicario when i saw it at the theater almost ten years ago. Been loving his movies ever since. And tomorrow a dune marathon, looking forward to it!
Something that stood out for me in this video was Denis explaining his favourite shot of Enemy. It wasn't his favourite shot because HE directed it. It's because of an idea implemented by someone else. There's a great team behind him with brilliant ideas that he acknowledges. There is no ego in his work and that is why is he is one of the greatest directors of our time.
Obviously he has chosen a movie from one of the best film directors in history!
Denis' body of work is absolutely stunning - he just keeps getting better and better!
I love his favorite scene from Arrival. It reminds me of my first "holy shit" moment as an adult watching sci-fi. It was in Star Trek (2009), near the beginning when Chris Pine is riding the motorcycle, and they show these massive, futuristic ship-building structures in the background obscured by haze due to the distance, but in a totally corporeal and earthbound way. I'm from the Midwest, so those shots hit so viscerally with my lived experience of early morning mist seeing silos across corn fields in the distance. It truly is a testament to the commitment to making everything as real as possible. Baking fictional set pieces into the real world using dutiful VFX that mimic real-world phenomena is so impactful, there is no wonder it's one of his favorites.
Love that you brought up that Star Trek (2009) shot. It was one of the most striking for me too with how much it grounds you to reality whilst presenting such a fantastical image! (That was a really fun movie and one of my favourites. Great casts. Sad the Kelvin Timeline franchise didn't take off as well as hoped.)
This is such a great series, this really says a lot about these filmmakers and their styles and priorities as storytellers
Villeneuve is a master
Paul riding the worm should win an oscar for vfx. It will be one of at least 2 scenes from Dune 2 that will become iconic. Nothing Frank Herbert ever wrote was so visceral and conveyed this mind blowing spectacle so intimately.
I will say, despite having read Dune, and there not really being any tension (as in fear that he would fail) because it's the main character, the sandworm ride still gave me chills. There was just a sense of inevitability or "terrible purpose" behind it. Like it was the start of something that Neither Paul or anyone in the theater would be able to stop.
i think the fact that most of his favorite shots are some intensely personal moment really shows how he has such good range with the scale of things in his movies. nobody can make things feel quite as huge as denis villeneuve, but he can also get nice up close and personal with his characters and he connects with those moments the most.
He could have picked so many other epic moments but he mostly picked character moments.
I loved this so much! Thank you! Every director should have one of these :). Off to go have a Denis movie marathon
can we just take a moment appreciate the run Denis is on. I mean damn, this dude dont miss. i back to back bangers one agter another.
Just realize i watched all his movies more than once. Such great filmography and story telling. Just love the real approach to everything.
Jake Gyllenhaal at the end of Prisoners. The lighting on his face. Gets me every time
I am so happy to be alive in a time where I get to experience Denis's, he truly makes the most amazing sci-fi movies and as seen in thin video and as people stated, its because of his attention to these little details that gives such depth and his way to balance these small intimare scenes with grand scenes that just creates magic.
Very interesting to see Directors themselves pick these, more often than not it's not the famous money shots
YES. THE TREE!
What an awesome Guy
Dune 1 and Dune 2: exactly the two shots that give me goosebumps everytime I watch.
Villenuve is such a master of film making. I don’t think any director has had such as consistently amazing movies since like 90’s Spielberg.
It took me too many of his films to finally appreciate something like Dune 2. I was blown away by it today, but there's others who slept through it!
Dune 2’s coolest shot to me was the interior or the artillery scene, with the spacial lighting drone. Such a simple but amazing shot.
I was also expecting him to choose wide shots of landscapes. Knowing now that he likes those intimate shots makes sense as to why his movies can make you feel what the character feels. He understands how to make the scenes he directs pull you in and feel true empathy, if not morphing into the character themselves as you go along the journey which is the movie.
Maybe he is the true Lisan al Gaib.
it is endlessly funny to me that perhaps the greatest working visual director's favourite shots include close up of tree, guy sleeping in car, feet walking in sand
That Sicario shot still gives me goosebumps every time I see it
I would have liked to hear about 'Incendies' too. I find that movie as iconic and visually stunning as the rest in Villeneuve's body of work, albeit probably less known to a large audience. But still.
I didn't know how the ending of Enemy was made it was great to hear it from the man himself
For an artist that has absolutely nailed grand scale and epic shots in many of his films, it's interesting to see how all his favourites are very intimate close ups and quite calm and quiet moments.
That spider shot still gets me