Costume supervisor Stephen Randolph hands out advice - and a wardrobe change - to Debra and Alton Hood, extras from Antioch. A scene for the Hannah Montana movie was filmed in Wartrace Monday morning. There were about 40 extras, but the big names were filming elsewhere. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Nashville made its presence known in Wartrace recently, with Marty Stuart headlining the annual MusicFest; and earlier, when Kenny Chesney filmed a music video there.

Monday morning, Hollywood dropped in.

"They're filming a scene for the Miley Cyrus movie," said Wartrace Alderman Ed Simpson. "It's just about 40 extras."

The young Disney star was not on the set, however -- she and her father were over in Coffee County, filming a scene at Rutledge Falls.

The 15-year-old television and pop phenomenon has been shooting "Hannah Montana: The Movie" in various spots around Tennessee since late April. Miley plays a teenager who lives a double life, as both a major pop star and a normal girl.

Stephen Randolph, of Nashville, the costuming supervisor, said the wardrobe tries to reflect that dichotomy.

"You'll notice the palette we're using here is faded and muted," he said, after advising one extra to exchange his deep brown pants for faded jeans. "It makes the clothes not look new. In the California scenes, the colors are all stronger, saturated."

He said the costuming plan reflects Miley's muted, calmer life as a normal teen and her more glitzy, glamorous life as Hannah Montana.

The movie is about Miley's dad, played by real-life father Billy Ray Cyrus, bringing her back to Tennessee to learn "country values." Scenes have been shot in Nashville, Franklin, Coffee County and several other areas.

"I was in another scene, (filmed) in Greenbriar," said extra Tom Prichard of Old Hickory. "It's been a learning process. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll be doing it again."

Prichard laughed and pointed to his red pickup truck, which had been specifically requested for the scene.

"This time, I'm down here more for my truck than me. My truck's the star -- I'll just hide out."

Extras picked up their costumes at Hillbilly Willy's in Wartrace for their brief taste of Hollywood. Scenes from the movie, but none with the principals, were filmed there Monday morning. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The main streets on both sides of the railroad tracks were a study in organized chaos Monday morning as the crews scrambled to get ready for the shoot and bystanders learned the truth about movie making -- it's a lot of "hurry up and wait."

Wartrace Police Chief Billy Smith had plenty of help as officers from the Bedford County Sheriff's Office and the TBI showed up, as well as representatives of CSX, because the shoot was going to involve filming a train coming through town.

"They took all the Wartrace signs down" Smith said, pointing to the empty silver rods that usually hold the city's banners. "This is supposed to be some fictional town. I think they're filming two scenes, one with the train coming through, and then cars crossing the tracks."

Terms such as "establishing shots," "set supervisor" and "special effects team" (which was comprised of two middle-aged men zipping through the town on skateboards) drop from Smith's mouth with ease. After all -- he's had some practice at this, working with the Chesney video. Like the filming of the video, the Hollywood presence was kept hush-hush to the last minute.

"I can tell you -- Wartrace keeps things very quiet!" said Ginnie Gesell, who lives in a second-story apartment just off the main road. "I didn't know anything about it. I heard the dog barking and saw the kids outside, so I came out to see what was going on."

It was about 6:30 a.m. when they gathered just out of the way of the production team, even setting up camp chairs to watch. Gesell kept company with her young neighbors, Abigail, 11, Isabel, 6, and Jude, 9, Cope. Jude, the only boy in the bunch, claimed he didn't care for Miley Cyrus, or Hannah Montana, but never left his chair as the action went on around him.

Isabel Cope, who is 'almost 7,' waits for filming to start in Wartrace for the Hannah Montana movie. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

None of them realized it was the Hannah Montana movie at first.

"Really?" said 11-year-old Abigail Cope, who started edging for the nearest telephone to call her best friend in Bell Buckle. "Is she going to be here?"

Any disappointment that "she" -- Miley Cyrus, of course -- wasn't there was soon forgotten as the residents and business owners go caught up in the activity, watching from inside the buildings or out of camera shot.

"Everybody loves movie magic," said Chief Smith.

There could be more movie magic in Tennessee's future. A recent incentive package put forward by Gov. Phil Bredesen offers financial enticements for Hollywood's producers.

"The operative word in 'show business' is 'business,' said Randolph, as he assigned more costumes to the extras. "If production companies can go to a state where they can get a rebate, they're going to."

When the production company does come to the state, he said, it usually draws heavily from the local talent pool, meaning more work for state residents.

Because so many movies are made out of state, Randolph has spent much of his career on the road. In Tennessee, however, he has worked on "The Green Mile" with Tom Hanks, "The Last Castle" with Robert Redford and "October Sky" with Jake Gyllenhaal.

This is his second venture to Bedford County -- Randolph was the costume supervisor for "Our Very Own," the movie with Allison Janney and Keith Carradine filmed here.

"We're very happy Disney chose to come here," he said about the Hannah Montana film. "It helps the Cyruses have connections to Tennessee. Disney's been good to work with."

He said working with Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus is easy.

"She's a lot of fun. She's got a lot of energy -- she's a 15-year-old," said Randolph. "She's professional and knows her stuff when she comes to work. The same for Billy Ray."