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It was also one of those small-step-giant-leap situations, a little laptop-size window into a possible future.
So howd they do it?
First, the caveats.
The stars werent just aligned for the show they were in military formation, saluting.
Its unlikely theres anything else out there right at this moment quite so perfectly teed up for success.
Here are the lessons that the team took away.
(Lucille Ball and cinematographer Karl Freund worked out live multi-camera principles in 1951!
Everything old is new again!)
(There was a popping in quality if they cued the feeds separately.)
I know what I do when I watch TV, says Urie.
I look at my phone, and Im also … judgmental.
I will watch something until I dont want to watch it.
But in theater, you make a commitment!
You dont look at your phone.
At least, he hisses, decent peopledont.
So there cant be anything to distract them.
Wear AirPods.Wontorek was keen that the sound be great, and at first it wasnt.
Spahn found that earbuds work like lavalier microphones, so Urie wore his AirPods.
After a few seconds, a viewer barely registers them.
They offered consistencythough they didnt always offer enough battery life, so there was some last-minute borrowing and swapping.
But the audio was perfect.
Rehearse.This isnt news, but its still key.
And also, rehearsal will tell you when disaster might strike.
The day before the shoot, a plan to use pretaped introductions from Urie and Tolins went sideways.
Yet another rehearsal discovery: Battery life is … life.
(Phones also sometimes stop recording video when they get down to 20 percent, so … prayers up.
If you have one of those extra-battery-life packs that straps onto your phone, use it.)
Even if youre recording, do it live.The particular magic ofBuyer & Cellaris that it feels risky.
Its not quite theater, no, but nor is it television.
We had to put our feelings to the side and work towards getting this thing done.
And yes, a deadline helped.
I was thinking about actors on TV and film, says Urie.
There, youre just a cog.
When you film your TV show, youre eating craft services … sometimes your costar isnt even there.
Much later it gets put together in the edit.
