TV Makers
TV Makers is a podcast that takes listeners behind the scenes of the TV industry, interviewing professionals in various roles to gain insights into their work. Host Ashley Golder speaks with the likes of Steadicam operators, Production Managers, Directors, Lighting Technicians, and more, covering all aspects of the TV world. In each episode, we delve into the intricacies of their roles, learning about the challenges and rewards of working in the industry. With episodes released every two weeks, TV Makers is perfect for TV enthusiasts, aspiring industry professionals, and veterans with years of experience. Subscribe now on your preferred platform and follow @tvmakerspod on Instagram and Twitter for more content.
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 brutal
- The hidden cost of writing something you know could be a production nightmare
- Why “second screen friendly” might be the most dangerous note in modern television
- How prep at scale actually creates freedom on set
- And what trust between director and DP really looks like when the pressure is on
Jim 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:
RIMMS
Produced, recorded and Edited by Ashley Golder
Additional camera by Will James
Recorded by Ashley Golder – https://ashleygolder.tv/
Instagram @tvmakerspod
Email: Podcast@tvmakers.co.uk
Artwork by Benjamin Leon –
Instagram: @benleondraws
Website: www.benleondraws.com