Jon Watts

How did you get into directing? Making Hi8 movies with my friends in high school. I was planning on going to school for chemical engineering in Colorado but applied to NYU and USC film school as a long shot. I got a full ride scholarship to both schools and ended up going to New York. I still can't believe it.

Why do you want to direct commercials? I took a negotiating class a few years back...working in commercials has given me a shot at using those skills in a way I never imagined....and there's the cash, the red carpet at pre pros, fast food, fast women.

What is your most recent spot project? Just delivered a music video for Fat Boy Slim and posting one for The Spinto Band. It's a completely arduous technique that involves videotaping actors, printing them onto paper, cutting them out then animating them using digital still cameras. It's a cool effect, but man... it takes forever.

Do you have plans to work in other areas--e.g., shorts, films, features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past? I didn't even realize that making music videos and commercials could be a real job until very recently. I made a short at NYU that people really seem to like and have written a couple of feature scripts. I went to school to make features, and that's what I want to do.

What do you think is the best part about being a director? Having an epiphany about the perfect way to shoot a scene.

What's the worst part? Having that epiphany at 4 am the night before the shoot.