In Ed Sheeran’s new music special, ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Music Experience, the global superstar and multi-time Grammy Award winner walks through New York City, playing some of his greatest hits in a single, uninterrupted take. Pulling off Sheeran’s casual pre-gig jaunt, however, required a bit more than just a subway card. In this making-of video, viewers get the opportunity to see the remarkable collaboration between Sheeran, director Philip Barantini (Adolescence), Fulwell Entertainment, and Emmy Award–winning producer Ben Winston. 

“I mean it could have been a fucking disaster,” Sheeran told Tudum, before laughing. “I said this to Phil, and I don’t think he believed me, but I think this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my career, in terms of scale and impressiveness. Everything’s led up to this point. If I hadn’t had 20 years of doing this on a small scale, I don’t think I’d [have been] able to do this as easily.”

“From the moment I met [Sheeran], just sensing his enthusiasm, I knew this was going to be special,” Barantini says. “I’m not sure whether people will quite understand what this kind of undertaking requires and the number of people that went into it.”

In fact, according to Winston, it’s hard to even pin down a hard number. “It really is a big one,” he says. “So even though there’s only one camera, you’re looking at over 1,000 people involved in this production.”

With relatively little rehearsal time and preparation, the project demanded impeccable choreography — seamless camera handoffs that even included one camera operator having to get into the trunk of a car — mixed with the unpredictability of having one of the biggest pop stars in one of the world’s most dynamic metropolises. For Barantini, the four individual hour-long single shots for Adolescence were a cakewalk compared to this: “Adolescence was incredibly stressful, but we had more time, and we weren’t in the busiest city in the world. This was 100% more stressful.”

According to the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, New York City was made for this kind of ambition. “The people and locations in New York are like a character that you add to whatever you film here,” deputy commissioner of film Kwame Amoaku tells Tudum. “If New York City was an actor, it would be an award-winning superstar. Making these difficult shoots happen is a big part of this office’s mandate, as we want to help creatives execute on their vision. This was made easier in 2021 when an executive order declared all city agencies had to have a liaison to our office. That’s a big part of what has made us a ‘city of yes’ in terms of film production.”

For Sheeran, shooting in NYC was part of the appeal: “When you’re coming up in the music industry, America is seen as an impossible task. New York is my favorite city to be a part of. I’ve made many records here. I’ve made many memories here. I have Irish family that came over here on boats and started new lives. Also, it’s fucking chaos,” he says.

The unpredictability became essential to the cinematography of the special. “What I love about this hour is that it is so real,” Winston says. “It’s what happens if you took one of the biggest stars in the world, and he went and played his music all through New York City. So this has also been about embracing the imperfections of the things that are going to go wrong when you try to do something so ambitious. Those moments we kind of love because, like, that’s part of the struggle of making this happen, and we don’t always know what it’s going to do or what the camera is going to do or where the crew are going to be.”

One would assume that kind of uncertainty would be a common feeling for a world-renowned performer like Sheeran, who’s made a career by embracing the unknown and being thrown into all kinds of unique situations. But Sheeran says ONE SHOT is in a category of its own — and a full-circle moment for him. “It definitely felt different than coming into a gig,” Sheeran says. “There were so many times when we were shooting where I’d be doing something [and would remember that] I’de been in this situation before when I was 16, and I was on this street and I had to perform for this person, and this person didn’t listen to me, so I had to do this. [I got to use] muscles that I’d trained early in my career, that I don’t have opportunities to use really ever. It's nice to go back to my roots.”

Learn all about the process of making ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Music Experience in the behind-the-scenes featurette at the top of the page.

ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Music Experience is available to stream on Netflix now.