As someone with a severe fear of the dentist, I’d take a pass on absolutely anything that would have me in a dentist’s office for a stretch of time.  (Or for five minutes for that matter.)  Jaume Collet-Serra, however, opts for the exact opposite approach.  Rather than assuage his fear of flying by avoiding airplanes altogether, he signs up for a gig that has him working in one for months.

Collet-Serra reunites with his Unknown star Liam Neeson for Non-Stop, a movie that hones in on an air marshal aboard a transatlantic flight to London.  Once airborne, the marshal starts receiving text messages from an unknown source, threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless he’s given $150 million.  With Non-Stop­ making its way into theaters on Friday, February 28^th, Collider got the opportunity to talk to Collet-Serra about channeling his fear into his characters, designing his airplane set to match his shot selection and the enjoyment he gets from breaking cameras.  Hit the jump to catch all the details on Non-Stop as well as Run All Night, Here There Be Monsters, Akira and more.

Jaume Collet-Serra Time Index:

• 00:00 – Collet-Serra says he breaks a camera on every film.
• 00:31 – On his fear of flying.
• 01:04 – Why take a project that would have him in a plane the whole shoot.
• 01:39 – The scheduling benefits of having just one set.
• 02:28 – Working with a plane full of extras.
• 03:33 – Developing backstories for the extras.
• 04:22 – The whodunit approach; ensuring hints are bold enough yet still subtle.
• 05:20 – On whether editing while shooting helped gauge if he was revealing too much.
• 06:22 – There was a different villain when he first got the script.
• 06:52 – On working with Neeson.
• 07:20 – What Neeson needs from Collet-Serra as an actor’s director.
• 08:28 – On designing the shots that represent Neeson’s point of view.
• 09:45 – On choosing to shoot on film versus going digital.
• 11:02 – On limiting himself to three takes.
• 11:38 – Designing the airplane in accordance with his shot selection.
• 12:53 – The challenge of capturing proper eye lines on a plane.
• 14:07 – Balancing the suspense with some lighthearted moments.
• 15:10 – Update on Run All Night, starring Neeson.
• 15:37 – Here There Me Monsters isn’t happening.
• 15:47 – Update on Akira.