Recent Frederic Planchon spots have been defined by a busy, urban feel, with a single character - a misfit, like the angel on his day off (VW Polo), or the guy who wants to bring us all some sunshine (Coca-Cola) - trying to find a way to connect. It makes for poignant viewing. Planchon is pleased to hear this, but says it's just "chance." He doesn't go looking for this kind of board. He just wants to tell a good story, and the innocent, positive quality of these characters appealed. Height - and the bird's eye view of peoples' lives - also seems to play a key role in spots like "Angel's Day Off" and "Roofless" (Peugeot 307). Does he wish he could fly, then? Sure, he says. But don't try and pin him down with trends. The restless helmer has probably already moved on to a different way of seeing the world.

What do you look for in a board?
The chance to tell a story, and clever ideas: if a story isn't appealing, even a good director can't make it work. The chance to provoke the viewer. There are so many images around, so you have to stand out.

Many of your spots feature a character observing the world from a distance. Is there something of you in that?
I think with "Angel's Day Off" there's something about one character regarding the rest of humanity in a big, vibrant city. And with the man in "Bring Me Sunshine" (Coke), there's something nice in both stories.

Who would be your guardian angel?
In a very practical sense, my producer Nick Morris (Academy, London). We've developed a good relationship over the last five years. I trust him. He's very good: he gives you freedom but at the same time he can see the big picture. Away from work, we're developing a movie together.

What are your main creative influences?
Every minute when I'm not working I try to see something that brings more depth and fun to life. I hate the idea of seeing something in somebody's work, then trying to copy it. I'd never do that. But part of my life is about reading and watching beautiful things. Some artists can change the way you see the world. If you look at an Andreas Gursky photograph, you'll see the place through his eye.

What piece of directing are you most proud of?
"In/Out" for Breeze.com is a job I still like, although it's several years ago. But I don't really look to the past. I'm more interested in the next job.

Favorite commercial of all time?
Some of the work of Jonathan Glazer. Frank Budgen is brilliant, too. And Ivan Zacharias. They make really good commercials but they're not just about the execution. There's depth to the ideas.

What's your idea of the job from hell?
A situation where somebody hires you for a job then takes a different view, even though you were very precise beforehand about the way you saw the film, the characters and the location.

What makes you laugh?
People! I'm a big fan of English humor. They find irony in tense situations and that makes me laugh.

What's the worst movie you've seen in the last 12 months?
I don't have time to see bad movies!

What's the most challenging spot you've ever worked on?
The Miller spot ("Downhill") was scary. Because of the timing, we only had one shot - 60 precise seconds. The guy never pedals, he just gets on his bike and rolls. It wasn't the kind of situation where you could get the shots then play with the film in the edit room. If something went wrong on the shoot, it was bad news. That was exciting!

You create a lot of illusions with hidden mechanisms and trick photography rather than technology. Is your instinct to resist new technology or welcome it?
Sometimes you just can't avoid it. I enjoy working with the real thing. It's more interesting and more human. With too much digital, you lose warmth and humanity. Of course it's a fantastic toy and can be really useful. But you have to be aware not to lose the human aspect. It makes everything possible, but if you go too far, the result might be cold.

What's next on your professional "must-do" list?
Make a good movie, not just for its own sake, but to tell a great story. I'm working on a script at the moment. But I love commercials and I have a lot of fun doing them. I just want to make the best ad I can.

Where would you most like to visit?
If I could go anywhere tomorrow, it would be Japan. The whole world is starting to look the same, but there's something about their culture that's still different. I love it.

VITALS
Production affiliations:
Repped by Irene (France) and Academy Films (rest of world).
Lives in:
Paris; was born in Lyons.
Education:
The son of a theater director and an actress, "but every teenager tries to be different from his father." Acted throughout childhood before striking out for film school, but left after a year.
How he got started:
"Just by myself, following my love of cinema and storytelling." Short films began to attract attention. Joined Premiere Heure in 1993, now with Irene. By 2000, began long association with Academy, signaling his arrival with the award-winning "In/Out" (Breathe.com).

Academy>http://www.academyfilms.com