The Nebraska Public Media crew blocked, rehearsed and executed a complex one-shot episode—proving innovation isn’t just for entrepreneurs.
The crew producing What If…Nebraska, our local series about entrepreneurs and innovation thinks a lot about pushing the envelope and taking creative risks in their storytelling. Sometimes, it even keeps them up at night.
Recently, camera work on the comedy-drama series The Bear inspired them to try a rarely used technique. “We wanted to tell a one-shot story with no edits,” explained Host/ Producer Mike Tobias. “Typically, a story on What If…Nebraska can have up to 160 different shots, so this was a challenge, but it’s entirely on-brand with the series.”
The team found the perfect opportunity in this season’s story about three sisters and a horse hotel near Beaver Crossing. “It was incredibly complicated to map out how we’d move through all the spaces,” he said.
The team blocked every scene like a movie, rehearsed the script and tested each movement and interview position. The day they recorded the episode, Tobias said the nine-person team of audio engineers, videographers and others buzzed with excitement.
“We realized this wasn’t going to be perfect, that stumbles were okay, and they would be part of the beauty of it,” he said. “The talent we have in our building is amazing!”
Two nearly perfect takes later, the crew pulled it off. Looking back, Tobias thinks taking risks makes them better storytellers. “We poured our heart and soul into this. We trusted the process – kind of like entrepreneurs.”