Los Angeles, Dec 28 (IANS): The sets of ‘Dune’ were not meant for social media after strict orders were issued by the film’s director Denis Villeneuve.

The filmmaker, 57, explained why cast and crew on his projects are not encouraged to bring certain devices on set, reports ‘People’ magazine.

He told the Los Angeles Times, “Cinema is an act of presence. When a painter paints, he has to be absolutely focused on the color he’s putting on the canvas. It’s the same with the dancer when he does a gesture. With a filmmaker, you have to do that with a crew, and everybody has to focus and be entirely in the present, listening to each other, being in relationship with each other”.

He added, “So cellphones are banned on my set too, since day one. It’s forbidden. When you say cut, you don’t want someone going to his phone to look at his Facebook account”.

Earlier in the interview, the director shared another reason he's not so fond of technology at times.

He further mentioned, “I feel that human beings are ruled by algorithms right now. We behave like AI circuits. The ways we see the world are narrow-minded binaries. We’re disconnecting from each other, and society is crumbling in some ways. It’s frightening”.

As per ‘People’, the director referred to being able to have constant access to others as “addictive”.

He said, "It’s compulsive. It’s like a drug. I’m very tempted to disconnect myself. It would be fresh air”.

The first installment of Villeneuve's Dune film adaptation of Frank Hubert's novel arrived in October 2021, with Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac . The second part was released in March 2024. A-listers Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy joined for ‘Dune: Part Two’.