Grousset is repped by Tesauro in Spain and by Barcelona-based Director's Gallery internationally. In two years of directing, the 28-year-old has filmed spots for car makers like Renault and BMW, as well as many commercials for Spain's myriad telecommunications companies, like Movistar, Retevisión and Via Digital. Embracing a cinematic visual aesthetic, Grousset says he is not at all pleased with most of the commercials he has directed.

Despite that dissatisfaction, Grousset speaks fondly of some of the concepts he helped to realize on film. In "Chewing Gum," a dark ad for candy maker Radical, Grousset says he and Madrid-based agency Tiempo BBDO were able to make a daring spot. The commercial shows a young man in a dark chamber with two scantily clad women who appear to be nearly plastic in texture. Filmed with choppy lighting, the images depict the two women coddling the young man, then strapping him into a chair and dropping lemon juice into his eyeball to represent the citrus flavor of the gum.

"On one side, the client wanted to make as much noise as it could. But when it comes to reality, it is a commercial for kids, and they just don't buy tits," says Grousset. "If you want to talk to kids, you've got to be a bit more twisted. I proposed to the agency that we would portray, in a very symbolic way, going out and hiring a prostitute - not on the street, but going for a soft S&M session. That has more of a style and a sense, and it is less vulgar. You've got to turn it a little comic. I didn't want it to be too stylish; I wanted to keep it raw, but very simple."

Maintaining the integrity of the ideas and characters who comprise a commercial is of key importance to Grousset, who says he approaches each project as if it were a feature film. He attempts to develop histories and motivations for spot characters, putting specific ideas into casting briefings in order to assist in the creation of the imaginary world in which the commercial exists.

"I think the work of the director is to protect the integrity of the commercial, and in order to do that, you have to stick to imaginary line, almost on instinct," says Grousset. "I haven't yet learned to be so cold as to say I have done my job now, you do whatever you want and if you want to spoil it, I don't give a shit. I am hot-blooded, so I still suffer, which is good."

Following this thread in each job is important for Grousset, who says it helps him avoid falling victim to copying other styles or fashions used in commercials. Grousset is cautious about outside influences, to the point of seeing members of the production crew as possible threats.

"Even a DP can become a threat - commercials move so quickly [that] there is no time," says Grousset. "It's not like in films, where you can think about the lights and do lots of testing. In commercials, the light has to be done by the director, and the DP has to be an extension to the director's needs, taking out the possibility of problems."

For this to happen, Grousset says personality is the main asset for a successful director. "Very selfishly, the best thing for a director is to get the best from all departments, to seduce not only the agencies, but all the crew and everyone who has to follow you with energy, passion and charm," says Grousset.