La Blogothèque has accused Netflix of ripping off their many iconic one-take gigs in its new Ed Sheeran special, One Shot.
The single-take film, described as a “groundbreaking, real-time music experience”, was released on the streaming platform last month. It was helmed by Philip Barantini, who previously used the one-shot technique for Adolescence and Boiling Point.
One Shot sees Sheeran make his way through the streets of New York City, playing his best-known songs in impromptu performances on sidewalks and subway trains, all the while interacting with fans and passers-by.
However, in a recent post on social media, Paris-based production company La Blogothèque alleged that Netflix had plagiarised some of its own similarly filmed live music films.
“We heard about One Shot, the new program Netflix launched with Ed Sheeran,” read the first frame of their Instagram carousel.
“Honestly, we are flattered by the tribute paid to the thousands of ‘one shots’ we produced during the last 20 years.”
La Blogothèque then instructed its followers to “see for yourself” by attaching numerous side-by-side images, comparing certain frames in One Shot to stills from previous films the firm had released.
These include a shot of Sheeran performing onstage, looking out to the venue (compared to Phoenix‘s 2017 show), a frame of the singer playing the guitar in the back of a taxi (compared to a Sylvan Esso performance in 2014), and a still of the star walking across a bridge (compared to Johnny Flynn in 2008).
There are comparisons to Phoenix’s 2009 film, too. One Shot shows Sheeran performing as a couple gets engaged, while the French band play at a wedding. Another slide features two side-by-side pictures of Phoenix filmed via a drone in 2013, with the same technique used in the Netflix special.
There are further images depicting the similarities between Sheeran and The Lumineers playing in a bar, the artist and Patrick Watson hosting a gig on public transport, Sheeran and Justin Bieber appearing on a rooftop, and more.
The final slide reads “Blogothèque & chill” – a nod to the slang term “Netflix and chill”. La Blogothèque also tagged the streaming giant in the caption.
Local Natives, who have previously filmed sessions for the French company, commented: “Blogothèque forever”. Joe Talbot of IDLES – who have also performed live for the channel – wrote: “You’ve just reminded me how much Blogothèque has shaped me. Thank you x.”
There has also been support from La Blogothèque alumni The Staves and more.
NME has contacted Netflix for comment, as well as Sheeran’s representatives.
La Blogothèque currently has almost 700,000 subscribers on YouTube. “From live broadcast television to award winning films, our work garnered worldwide attention and has built a lifelong community of those who love music,” a description on its official website reads.
The company has also shot sessions by the likes of Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Jack White, Justin Timberlake, Iggy Pop, Chvrches, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, Vampire Weekend and many more over the years.
“We filmed more than 500 bands in over 10 countries across the world. And we’ll never get tired of it,” La Blogothèque said on YouTube, highlighting its “one shot, 6 minute live music video with a drone above Versailles with Phoenix”.
Upon the release of One Shot, director Barantini wrote: “It was such an honour to be asked to do this! What a ride.”
Elsewhere, Sheeran shared a behind-the-scenes video of how the film was made. “It’s completely nuts, the team behind it were so impressive,” he said. “We had close to 1000 people on the day working on it, they all nailed it.”
Ed Sheeran released his latest studio album, ‘Play’, in September. He already has another record ready to go, and has shared plans for a posthumous full-length project titled ‘Eject’.
In other news, the pop star has dismissed rumours of a rift between him and Taylor Swift, saying that the pair recently had a four-hour-long conversation.
