Ep 40: Apple TV - Hijack Co-Creator & Director Jim Field Smith + DOP Ed Moore - Building Real-Time Tension Underground

If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to make large-scale, high-stakes television drama - this is the episode.To close Series 4 of TV Makers, Ashley is joined by the co-creator, executive producer and lead director of Hijack, Jim Field Smith, and Director of Photography Ed Moore.It’s a double finale! TV Makers X Hijack! Season 1 trapped audiences at 35,000 feet.Season 2 moves underground - onto a Berlin U-Bahn train, in real time, for eight relentless hours.Together, Jim and Ed unpack what it took to build one of Apple TV+’s most ambitious thrillers - from scanning real train carriages in Berlin to constructing a fully functioning hydraulic train set in the UK that could move in multiple axis while remaining completely shootable in 360 degrees.This conversation goes far beyond “how it looked.”They explore:Why real-time storytelling is creatively thrilling - and structurally brutalThe hidden cost of writing something you know could be a production nightmareWhy “second screen friendly” might be the most dangerous note in modern televisionHow prep at scale actually creates freedom on setAnd what trust between director and DP really looks like when the pressure is onJim explains why he avoids traditional storyboarding in favour of building fully immersive environments that allow actors - including Idris Elba - to perform inside something that feels real, rather than technical.Ed shares how virtual production, LED environments, lens sourcing across Europe, and precise sun-path calculations helped sustain tension minute by minute across an eight-hour real-time narrative.This is a deep dive into collaboration, ambition, and refusing to lower the creative bar - even when the logistics are daunting.And if you want to lift the curtain further, head over to YouTube to see behind the scenes pictures and footage supplied by Jim, Ed and Apple. It’s a fitting finale to Series 4 for TV makers. Enjoy!This Episode is Sponsored by: RIMMSThe Kit HouseDirected by GoodProduced, recorded and Edited by Ashley GolderAdditional camera by Will JamesRecorded by Ashley Golder - https://ashleygolder.tv/Instagram @tvmakerspod Email: [email protected] by Benjamin Leon  - Instagram: @benleondrawsWebsite:  www.benleondraws.com