Working in real-time in "Time Code", you are creating within self-imposed restrictions. Did those limitations free your work?

What conventional cinema offers is an infinity of possibilities, and I find that that's an incredible limitation in itself. There's too much scope, too much to cover. Over the last years, I've tried to look for ways to contain things, to bring them down into a straitjacket. Drama works better in a contained box. The more compression you can bring to bear on a subject, the more chance you have of making something interesting pop out.

Are you moving away from more expensive projects like "One Night Stand"?

The choice has been to go for lower-budget films, where the conditions are that I can shoot very quickly, and I have final cut. I can be on to another project four months later, and not be agonising over choices. I'm very happy with my working situation now.

With "Time Code" you place the onus on the audience to piece the film together. Was that important to you?

One of the things I found really frustrating about Hollywood is the idea that the audience is not very bright. I think it's far more sensible not to assume the lowest common denominator.

Do you think that following this, there will be lots of imitations?

I hope so. I think it's perfectly valid. More importantly, economically it means that if you want to make a film on Digital Video you no longer have to join that queue and try and join that very exclusive club of film-makers. We know enough about technical innovation [to know] that quality will improve and price will drop.

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