Zack Snyder Addresses His On-Set Chair Ban

Back in 2021, filmmaker Zack Snyder made headlines when he revealed that he had banned chairs on the set of his zombie heist film, Army of the Dead. At the time, Snyder said that it was a decision that made things "really intimate" on set and described how it gave him a more hands-on experience when making the film. Now, speaking to Letterboxd, Snyder is further addressing the so-called ban, explaining that it was less a ban and a more a function of how fast-paced working on the film was — and said that people could bring chairs, he just didn't have one.

"We had no video village on the movie. We had no chairs on the movie… well, I mean, you could bring your own chair and that was fine, like a little stool or folding chair. I had an apple crate with this pad on it. And everyone's like, 'Oh, Zack said, No chairs. He forbid chairs, that's rude.' I didn't forbid chairs; I just didn't want to have them. We were moving fast, so if you could bring a camping chair, by all means, camp out. But I didn't have a chair and I just was like, 'I'm standing or running this entire movie,' and I did that. And it was great. And I loved it. As a way of shooting, it really inspired me, I was in love with it and in love with making movies.

Christopher Nolan Also Limits Chairs on Film Sets

Snyder isn't the only filmmaker who limits chairs on set when it comes to video village. Back in 2020, it was reported that Christopher Nolan also "banned" chairs from film sets, though a representative later clarified that the chairs in question where those around the video monitor — not chairs for cast and crew to sit in between takes.

"For the record, the only things banned from [Christopher Nolan's] sets are cell phones (not always successfully) and smoking (very successfully)," a representative for Nolan said in a statement at the time. "The chairs Anne was referring to are the directors' chairs clustered around the video monitor, allocated on the basis of hierarchy not physical need. Chris chooses not to use his but has never banned chairs from the set. Cast and crew can sit wherever and whenever they need and frequently do."

Snyder Also Revealed That Justice League Inspired Him to Be His Own Cinematographer

Snyder not using a chair on Army of the Dead and again with Rebel Moon came from the filmmaker serving as his own Director of Photography for those films, something he explained was inspired by his experience making Justice League.

"Probably my experience on Justice League and sort of the separation that happens between the director and the movie," Snyder said. "When you're at a certain scale of production, video village gets like drawn out into this massive… its own camp, and suddenly, there's like two tiers of chairs, there's 10 monitors. It looks like a whole other world, and then, like the movie's over there. I had been a director/cameraman in commercials for 10 years, 12 years. I know my way around a camera a little bit and when I went to do Army, I was just like, 'You know what? I got to figure this out. I got to just get back. Give me the camera, I Just want to go close.'"

What Is Rebel Moon About?

In Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire, when a peaceful settlement on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Motherworld, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants, and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a new army of heroes is formed.

"This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan," Snyder said in a statement when the film was first announced. "It's my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out... I've spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I've been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized."

Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.