I had a birthday one night on a farm we were shooting on. I walked into the tent, and there were 150 people waiting for me, all wearing masks of my face.

Each environment has its own signature. Sound tells a story: You make choices about what you're hearing, where to look, how you want to feel about what's going on.

I have an adult emotional life and an editing system inside me which prevents me from being preposterously stupid.

There's no attempt to manipulate the audience. We made our choice at the start.

I've always been a bit of a sound freak in the movies I've done.

I directed 24's pilot. I felt we should follow the characters around as if we were a documentary crew, using available light, hand-held cameras, split screens, sound that isn't always what it should be, to suit the reality of the premise.

We shoot double episodes in 15 days in Los Angeles.