Even when country music comes to town the old Goddard Covered Bridge is still the star of the show.

Video crews worked nearly three hours to place lighting discreetly behind the lattice timbers of the bridge Monday in preparation for a scene in Sawyer Brown’s new music video.

The song “They Don’t Understand” is to be released shortly, according to Jason Epperson, one of the owners of Eppdidit, the company making the video.

Although the song has a religious theme, it could be the ballad for the bridge that, if some authorities had gotten their way, would be a pile of timbers by now. Instead the bridge provided the perfect stage for the song sung by lead singer of the group, Mark Miller.

“The bridge is gorgeous,” Miller said. “Hollywood spends millions of dollars to create something like this.”

Miller was looking for real: real scenery, real places and real people. Goddard and the bridge provided everything Miller required, but the location was found quite by accident.

Epperson and partner Lark Watts were looking for a church to film the scene when Epperson thought of friend, Lake Kelly Jr., who called his mom, who called Brenda Plummer and before anyone knew what was happening the video crew was ready to shoot.

“This is like Mayberry,” Marti Kelly said. “And I am Aunt Bea.”

Arranging the shoot, having the lights turned on in the church and working with local officials reminded Kelly of an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show,” she said.

But once crews arrived, Kelly could put away her managing skills and enjoyed the process of video making. She was one of many who showed up along with Steve Donovan of the Covered Bridge Authority, basketball coach Kyle Macy, who is a friend of Miller’s and students from Fleming County High School.

Mary Honaker had a few members of her media classes around to shoot the guys who were shooting the video. The students are fresh off a major win of a state wide video contest in which they filmed a commercial that has been shown on local channels.

Andrea Frazier, Ronnie Evan and Ashton Weaver watched and learned as the crew selected key spots to place lights.

Frazier, who has always wanted to make videos, was excited that they could watch the crew.

Hanging from beams in the roof of the bridge, Scott Campbell managed to get cords and lights exactly where they were needed. Four lights were placed on the floor of the bridge to highlight the cross timbers on the other side. Epperson used colored cellophane to cast a golden glow on the timbers. Clear lights were used to accent. He said 10 to 12 lights would provide the lighting needed for the shot.

Lights were placed around the door of the church, while a backlight provided a glow to the structure.

When everything was ready and the sun had set, Miller used the bridge for his stage and performed a chorus of the song.

The album “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” will feature the song shot at the bridge. Miller said the album brings back the excitement and freshness of the first album the group cut more than 20 years ago.

“The song is not slick,” Miller said of “They Don’t Understand.” “It is real.”

The song came from a furniture salesman Miller met when he and his wife were looking at furniture.

“The song came in at the midnight hour when we needed something else for the album,” Miller said.

Miller had seen a video Watts had done and wanted him to create the same feeling for “They Don’t Understand.”

Watts and Epperson said they usually sit down with an artist and discuss what is wanted for a video.

“The artist has ideas, it is their song,” Epperson said. “We get together and decide what will work.”

For this video Epperson and Watts wanted an artist look with the recurring theme of timbers. Today the company moves to their hometown, Winchester, to shoot a scene of a junkyard and train station.

Contact Danetta Barker at Danetta.Barker@lee.net or call 606-564-9091, ext. 272.