Breakdown of Нужно, чтобы в кадре кто-нибудь кричал.
в
in / to (direction)
нужно
it is necessary
кто-нибудь
anyone / someone (unspecified)
чтобы
in order to
Questions & Answers about Нужно, чтобы в кадре кто-нибудь кричал.
Why is the verb кричал in the past tense when the English translation says "needs to shout"?
This is the core rule for indirect commands and wishes in Russian! When you use чтобы to express that it is necessary for someone else to do something, the verb that follows must be in the past tense. Even though the shouting is needed right now or in the future, the word чтобы forces the verb into its past tense form кричал.
Could I use кто-то (someone) instead of кто-нибудь here?
It is much more natural to use кто-нибудь in this sentence. We use words ending in -то when a specific person exists but we do not know who they are. We use words ending in -нибудь for hypotheticals, wishes, or commands where anyone at all will do. Since the speaker just needs any person to shout, кто-нибудь is the right choice.
If the person shouting ends up being a woman, why is кричал in the masculine form?
The pronoun кто (who) and all of its related words, like кто-нибудь, are always grammatically masculine singular. Even if you are talking about a mixed group or hoping a woman steps up to shout, the verb matching кто-нибудь must remain masculine.
What exactly does в кадре mean in this context?