How Netflix’s One Shot with Ed Sheeran was made in one take between soundcheck and show
In the show, helmed by Adolescence director Philip Barantini, Ed Sheeran is filmed roaming New York City in the afternoon before his gig
The idea of a concert special did not exactly light up Ed Sheeran’s mind.
“Every time it was pitched to me, I just wasn’t excited,” says the English singer and songwriter who has spent the past decade or so among the world’s top touring acts. “‘We could do this theatre and this town and this…’ – it was like, ‘I’ve seen that before.’”
But then Sheeran got a call from Ben Winston, the Emmy-winning producer and director known for his role overseeing the Grammy Awards and as a creator of James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” series.
Actually, it was an email, Winston points out. “You can’t call Ed because he doesn’t have a phone,” he says. “You have to email him and hope he FaceTimes you back from his iPad.”
Sheeran liked the idea; so did Philip Barantini, who won two Emmys in September for directing that acclaimed miniseries about a 13-year-old boy accused of killing a female classmate.