Lights, Lanes & Film Festivals: A Lincoln Video Production Rundown
Lincoln video production teams get a month of built-in atmosphere when the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center launches its third annual Ross Fright Fest on Oct 2, unspooling classics and indies through Halloween alongside two live scores by the Anvil Orchestra. Upcoming repertory slots include Love, Brooklyn (Oct 3-9) and Linda Linda (Oct 10-16), giving editors fresh reference cuts for pitch decks
More Screens, More Scenes
Anchoring the family market, Lincoln Parks & Recreation’s Movies in the Park pops up at dusk on Oct 3; no tickets are required, and producers can capture authentic community reactions under free LED floods. Two blocks south, the UNL Johnny Carson School mounts Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Oct 8-11—while theatrical, its concert-grade lighting rigs mirror live-event specs many crews service in Q4.
On the doc side, award-winning Hidden Battles premieres at the Lied Center on Oct 14, but press junkets begin Oct 10, offering DP-friendly sit-downs on mental-health storytelling. And though 24 miles west, the Flatwater Film Festival (Sept 26-28) just wrapped in Seward, its daily gear demos and filmmaker roundtables keep networking momentum rolling online all week.
Traffic & Permit Watch
Miss these details and overtime will eat your budget.
- Nebraska Pkwy @ 27th St. turn-lane closure Sept 29–late Oct; detour via 14th → Old Cheney → 27th
- LTU live closure list & Waze map update daily; flag truck routes before 7 a.m.
- City film permits required on public land/ROW; submit 60 days ahead through City Clerk (LMC 14.34)
Casting Calls & Crew Gigs
Backstage’s Nebraska filter lists paid day-player roles for indie feature Apex filming in Lincoln the first week of October—$150 day, SAG micro-budget waiver. Student shorts from the Carson Center still seek gaffers and ACs for fall thesis shoots; steady résumé builders ahead of winter slowdowns
Purchase Price for Book to Film Rights
Bullet-Point Resources
Screenings This Fortnight
- Oct 2-31 Ross Fright Fest, Ross Center
- Oct 3 Movies in the Park, Antelope Park
- Oct 8-11 Tina musical, Lied Center
- Oct 10 Hidden Battles press junkets begin, Lied Center
Key Logistics Links
Why It Matters
Fright Fest’s nightly crowds give DPs free extras, while outdoor movies supply golden-hour establishing shots without set-dec spend. But Lincoln’s 60-day permit rule means any holiday commercial dreaming of a city park location is already on the clock. Add in water-main detours and you’ve got a recipe for schedule creep unless call sheets bake in drive-time buffers.
Final Take
October opens with a rich slate of screenings and a fresh batch of street work. Lock permits, scout Ross lighting ahead of time and bookmark LTU’s closure map. With smart prep, crews can wrap horror reels one night and family footage the next—proving Nebraska’s capital keeps Lincoln video production rolling long after harvest moons fade.
