I love being in the editing room and playing with tempo and with the rhythm of shots.

As a drummer, you're always fighting for a level that you never quite attain.

I love the idea of using film language similarly to how musicians use music - combining images and sounds in a way that they create an emotional effect.

Certainly, my manager Gary Ungar was the first person to give me any attention and hustle for me. This was back in 2009.

It's easy to show terrible people's behavior on screen, and we all just kind of nod and go, 'Isn't that terrible.' It's more interesting when you can show terrible behavior in the interest of something good.

I like a set to be a happy place, where people can feel free to experiment.

'Whiplash' scared me. I feel you should only do projects that scare you to some degree. I get motivated by those sorts of feelings.

I wanted to look at the mentality that can breed that sort of intensity, that kind of cutthroat, pressure-cooker feeling, especially a form of music like jazz, that should be - or you'd think should be - all about liberation and improvisation and everything.

Practicing is not normally fun. Sometimes people say they're practicing, but they're really just enjoying themselves and the instrument. That's not real practice.