Greenville Drive-In celebrating Taylor Swift after screen featured in lyric video

GREENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In 2020, Taylor Swift released her official lyric video for "this is me trying," which featured the song lyrics edited on a drive-in movie screen. A screen that Greenville Drive-In owner Dwight Grimm said is from his property.

After the lyric video was released on July 24, 2020, a staffer of his saw the video and recognized the drive-in screen, said Grimm. The staff member notified Grimm, who also recognized it as his own.

Grimm said he was confused at first, but they then figured out what happened. During the drive-in off-season in 2018 or 2019, a freelance photographer entered the property without permission and filmed the screen, said Grimm.

A friend of his later found the video of the screen on Shutterstock, advertised as an "abandoned upstate NY drive-in theatre." However, Grimm noted that the drive-in was clearly in the off-season and not abandoned.

Taylor's creative team must have then purchased the video on Shutterstock and used it for the lyric video, said Grimm. He did reach out to Swift's team back in 2020 just to ask for credit on the location of the drive-in, but he never heard back.

"I am mostly amused, slightly perplexed," said Grimm. "It would be nice to hear from Taylor's team. We just want an acknowledgment." NEWS10 has also reached out to Swift's press team but has not heard back yet.

However, Grimm doesn't hold any negative feelings about the situation; he's actually embracing it. The Greenville Drive-In is holding its third annual Taylor Swift Appreciation Week which takes place the week of July 24. The drive-in is hosting a Taylor Swift-themed karaoke night on Friday, July 28.

"Anything to do to shine a light on drive-ins is a good thing," said Grimm. "Thanks to Taylor for making ours the most viewed drive-in screen in the world."