When I first saw the eye slit scene from Un Chien Andalou I knew I wanted to direct. My great-grandfather was a ventriloquist in the music halls of old London, so it all seemed to make sense.

After film school, I made documentaries for Channel Four and BBC. Then I discovered drama. Well, screwy comedy drama. Some crazy people actually gave me money to write and direct a couple of short films. The first one featured more conspiracy theories than Oliver Stone’s entire output; the second one was about a young couple inflicted with option paralysis on a Saturday night.

Then a man with red hair asked me if I’d have a go at at making really short films financed by product placement. Soon, I was directing commercials for Spectre. Then Partizan. Then Blink. And then HSI, and just now here at The Joneses for America.

I’m sometimes known as the cinematic pastiche guy, making funny ads that spoof a scene in a film or even a whole genre. I watched a lot of movies in my youth. Story-based or vignette style, I love a strong idea to chew on, to hone, to hang out with, to play bar football against. Every job has its own peculiarities. It’s like going back to zero each time and surprising yourself afresh. God is in the detail. Or is it The Devil?