( CNN ) A video shoot in Nepal for an Internet comedy series took a serious turn on Saturday as the earth began rumbling . The Nepali Pranksters were in the middle of shooting an episode for their hidden camera series when the magnitude-7.8 earthquake broke out . The team kept the camera rolling as they moved through the crowded streets , surveying destruction to homes and historic sites and capturing scenes of heroism and chaos . The Nepali Pranksters ' videos show people 's reactions to various `` pranks '' that challenge cultural norms . One video shows the pranksters walking up to strangers and taking their hands for a long , awkward , handshake ; another shows them complimenting men and women on their clothes and appearance , with mixed results . For their next prank based on Nepal 's ban on plastic bags , Ashish Prasai and Akash Sedai were in Jawalakhel , Sedai said in an email to CNN . The town , in Lalitpur District , is home to Nepal 's famed Central Zoo . The camera was rolling when they felt the ground shaking around 11:55 a.m. , Sedai said . People started screaming and crying and vehicles came to a standstill as a building collapsed in the background . But earthquakes are a fact of life in Nepal , and `` we were still thinking it was a just a simple earthquake , '' Sedai said . They kept the camera rolling for 18 minutes as they traversed the streets full of crying and shouting people . They found homes destroyed , where people were pulling survivors out from piles of rubble . They stopped and talked to motorists , urging them to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles , Sedai said . They continued filming as they made their way to to the historic Dharahara tower and Basantapur Durbar Square , a UNESCO world heritage site , where people crawled among the ruins . By then , they realized their country was in a `` very bad condition , '' Sedai said . The Nepali Pranksters made it through the first day of the earthquake , as did their families , Sedai said . But with aftershocks and crumbling infrastructure still posing threats , safety is a temporary state of mind right now in Nepal . `` We are scared . ... Earthquakes waves are occurring now , '' he said . `` Hope we will be alive and the problem will get solved soon . ''
Nepali Pranksters make hidden camera videos of awkward social situations . The magnitude-7.8-person team was filming as the Nepal earthquake began .