The Cellar - My foray into showbiz

Prologue.
There’s a woman living in northeastern PA, whom I’ll refer to as Star, has put together a band and cut a CD. It’s under the Country/Western banner, but it’s more accurately country-rock or country-pop. One of the songs is about her love for her truck, which if any good, would do well in that market. In that vein, her father borrowed a yellow Chevy SSR from a dealer, and used it to shoot a photo for the cover.
Enter an actual SSR owner living in the same town, who Star asked if he knew any other owners that might willing to participate in the making of a video to promote her CD. He posted the request on the SSR forum I belong to, and seven of us from MD, PA, NJ, NY, and MA, agreed to help her out.

It’s on.
We get the word Star wants to shoot on Oct 2&3, but most of the guys balked at 2 days because some of them were traveling five or more hours, on their own nickel, to get there. So it was settled that Oct 2nd we would gather at a pizza shop, because the shop had to be in the background. Star had put up flyers around town announcing this event, and set up a merchandise on the picnic tables outside, so I’m guessing a deal was struck since we were screwing up the parking lot on a Saturday, while they were trying to run a business.

Prepping.
I washed the mud off my truck on Friday, since the day before the normally 3 foot deep creek behind my house crested at 18 ft (10 ft over flood stage) and left the roads very muddy. After all, show business is all about clean... on the outside.

Journey
8am Saturday morning, carefully avoiding puddles, I sojourn off to “break a leg”. About 3 miles from my destination, the sun is shining, the sky is crystal blue, Thumper and Bambi are romping through the woods, and I’m cruising along a smooth concrete 4 lane divided highway. WTF, there’s water running across the road... crap. So I stop a the town hardware store, buy rags and stuff to clean off the truck, then head to the pizza parlor. Having arrived a little early, I start cleaning, when Star’s father arrives with the news the “videographer” called from NYC, saying he wrecked his car the day before and was trying to borrow a car.

Assembly.
The rest of the guys arrived and I greeted everyone, most of whom I hadn’t met in real life.
I learned some others had encounter the river-in-the-road, and the one that suffered the most hadn’t driven his SSR through it, he towed it behind his big-ass dually. Ahh, nothing builds comradery like shared rags. While building this comradery I discovered nobody has a clue how we are to contribute to the creative process, except keep our thumbs warm and moist.
Star’s Mom, Dad, husband and tall thin teenage son (whom I’ll call Lurch) arrived at various times. Very nice and gracious people, but only slightly aware of Star’s plans for us.

Here we go.
After a slice of Pizza at noonish, Star and an entourage of two women with cameras that never stopped clicking, greeted and profusely thanking us for coming. Now musicians and artists are what they are, because they have (a) vision. Star is no different, except translating that vision to paper, or even vocalize it, seems difficult for her. First she wants each truck backed up to the front door of the pizza parlor... no, a little more... no, pointed this way... a little to the left, I want to block the trash can and newspaper box... and the driver to stand beside the truck so Star can put her arm around them for a picture to post on her website... ‘let me know when your ready for the “official” picture, because I’ll take off my sun glasses but I don’t want to open my eyes until the last second’. It only takes about a little over an hour to take seven pictures.
http://cellar.org/2010/star1.jpg

Next phase.
Word comes the videographers are on the NJ Pike, so set up for the video shoot. Of course the video, more than anything, is all about Star’s vision. Line up the trucks in a sort of v shaped, open sided half circle, so Star can wander/dance/sashay from truck to truck, while singing along with her CD, ending up at the yellow truck in the middle, which she is portraying as her own. Naturally, since the CD’s picture was taken with a yellow one, an continuity is important to building credibility. My truck is parked and I’m sitting over in the shade when Star frantically calls me over.
Holding two fingers about 3 inches apart, “Back your truck up this much”.
I replied, “You promised you wouldn’t tell”.
I swear to God, nobody got it, nobody.
It takes two hours to align 7 trucks with a vision.
http://cellar.org/2010/star2.jpg

Shoot
The videographers (there’s two) finally arrive, and all the drivers are directed to sit in their trucks. The cameras look like regular DSLRs to me, one hand held, and one sort of hand held with a foot long curved metal strap that can be rested on his shoulder. the music starts (her CD on one of the truck radios), the cameras roll, and Star does the wander/dance/sashay, in only two takes... easy when it’s your vision. I found out later, one of Star's entourage had carefully written out in long hand, the refrain, which the drivers were supposed to be singing along. Unfortunately for music history only two of the drivers got them... pity.
Then a three takes of Star, driving the yellow truck she’d commandeered*, pulling out of the side street and blasting down main street with everyone standing spread out t the curb waving like groupies.

*More like persuaded with a big smile and bigger cleavage, but his wife readily agreed.

The farm
Sitting on my tailgate pondering my celebrity status, a strange feeling caused me to look up. Staring at me, standing pole straight, feet together, arms straight down like a plebe at attention, stood Lurch, who monotoned, “Are you going to the farm? Uh, farm? What farm? Why are we going to the farm? It was part of the vision to shoot additional video at the farm.
Two guys had to head home, but with Star driving the commandeered yellow, and a videographer riding shotgun shooting her, the rest of us headed to the farm.
The farm is a commercial enterprise with a corn maze, a food sales, tractor/hay wagon rides, and what seemed to be a shed/meeting hall where a marching band was rehearsing.
Our circus retired to the top of a hill, where they shot Mr Muscles throw a couple of bales of straw on a wagon, rip off his shirt, drink some water and pour the rest over his body. Cue Star, who drives up in the yellow, jumps out and throws a towel at Mr Muscles, then drives off.
The last shoot I saw was Star and her band, performing their hearts out, in the setting sun, with the beautiful mountains in the background, to the CD on the boombox.
http://cellar.org/2010/star3.jpg

Epilogue
Since I wasn’t really involved at any of the farm shoots I was a bit bored, and would have left if I didn’t have to return to the pizza parlor, the girl I gave a lift to.
I should reiterate, no music was being made, this is a video to promote a song/CD that’s already on sale. It was a long, but interesting day. I’m curious to see what it looks like when they pare it down to a song a few minutes long. I’ll let you know when, and if, it hits the web.