by Tammy Pierchoski, Executive Director, STAAR at Antoinette Hall
What a fantastic opportunity to be able to work with Nashville producers when they find just the right fit for an artist and our lovely UNIQUE little Antoinette Hall venue! The process is really simple…they call us and ask if we have availability, usually for a 12-hour period for a shoot.
Sometimes they tell us who the artist is, and sometimes they don’t! They will bring a team of people down for a “scouting” of the site to make sure it’s what they are looking for. Once approved, they get to work on logistics with lighting, sound, set dressing, etc.
We clear off-loading and parking with the City of Pulaski and await their arrival. We then accommodate by making the lower level of the STAAR house available for them to set up communications, wardrobe and makeup, holding area for talent/extras and craft services (snacks for cast and crew).
We are even sometimes asked to provide background talent so this is fun for our locals and STAAR talents as well! Most of the time there are about 25-30 people involved even before the band/artist arrives…each with their task.
Out on the sidewalk are many, many rolling tubs of equipment, and there are usually generators involved with umbilicals up to Antoinette Hall for proper power. Hundreds of trips are made up and down the stairs on the side of the building and it runs like clockwork! We just stay out of the way!
During the course of the day, when there are breaks, I direct them to Second Street Coffee Shop, The Outlook, Cane and Poplar and the various shops around the square within walking distance, Reeves (for ice cream of course!), They usually pick a local restaurant to cater in lunch and dinner for the cast and crew, and during the little downtime they ask tons of questions about our lovely town!
You know I just love sharing the history of Antoinette Hall as well as our beautiful courthouse and other stops in our community worth checking out! Many of them have even come back for shows, which is super cool!
During taping they will invite us up to come upstairs and watch quietly, which is always a thrill. There are cords, cameras, lights everywhere! You step carefully and find a spot to observe the artistry of creating a music video behind the scenes. The actual shooting time depends on the scenes and “takes” it takes to get it right. They usually load out by midnight and then it’s about a month before the finished product is ready for release!
They will send us production photos and a link to the video, and we all gather around the laptop to watch the preview! We’ve never been disappointed and love to see how each producer chooses to showcase various parts of the rooms upstairs along with the hall itself while making their artist look fabulous.
Eric Paslay, Billy Dawson, Calling Glory, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Ben Burgess, Jeff Carson, Buck Sixx are just a few who have shot up there over the years. We hope to have many more!
Nolan Pugh was the producer on our most recent video shoot for a band called Boys Like Girls. This was the first of August, so if you drove by and saw all of the trucks, production team dressed in black and a commotion, that was it!
The song they shot the video for was called “Cry,” and I would describe it as an absolutely perfect rock ballad and Martin Johnson’s (lead singer) voice range is astounding. We’d love to share with everyone this beautifully done music video right in our hometown.
When these people choose to come here, they help shine a light on Giles County and bring the spotlight back onto the Antoinette Hall Stage hoping that someday they will come perform to a full audience once restoration happens for our little gem!