Quentin Tarantino Reveals the Moment He Snapped and Banned Phones on Set

Quentin Tarantino once explained why he banned phones on his film sets, and it all started with one phone ruining a take. Speaking to Coup de Main magazine, the director recalled, “Basically, a phone rang during a scene with Michael Madsen, and ruined the scene, and threw the whole rest of the night in a bad way.”

The incident left him frustrated. “I was really f**** pissed off,” Tarantino admitted. It wasn’t long after that his assistant director reminded him, “We’re giving them these phones; we can take them away.”

That advice was all Tarantino needed. From that moment on, phones were completely banned on his sets, along with other electronics. Even the sound of a laptop starting up could throw him off.

The policy began with Kill Bill, but as smartphones became more common, Tarantino’s rules became stricter. On films like Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he implemented a system called ‘Checkpoint Charlie.’

A crew member collects everyone’s devices at the start of the day and returns them when filming wraps.

Tarantino does allow the crew to charge their devices if needed. But anyone who breaks the rules and lets a phone ring during a take faces immediate consequences. “If you f**** up my scene, you’re fired; that’s the deal,” he said. For Tarantino, keeping everyone focused is essential, and he sees phones as a major distraction.

“Smartphones are so prevalent now on sets. That people really aren’t even there, [even] when they’re there. They’re not 100% present. They’re on the set, and they’re going through shit, they’re looking up stuff, they’re updating their Facebook page, and they’re not present. People aren’t talking,” he explained.

The director noted how different it is from when he started in the early ’90s. “It used to be, crews were families, and you hung out together. But now, everyone’s kind of by themselves doing their own thing to some degree or another, and then they put ’em down when they all have to do something in unison.”

Tarantino says the ban has had positive results. Without phones, the crew works more as a team, and he hears people remark, “This is the film industry that I signed up for! This is really wonderful.” For the Pulp Fiction helmer, creating that sense of focus and togetherness is worth the strict rules.

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