Tennessee Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews

Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in Tennessee? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.

Filming in Tennessee

For an introduction to shooting in Tennessee see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.

Tennessee Film Locations

Tennessee is a landlocked southern state known for Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, music venues, Civil War sites, mansions, museums, whiskey distilleries, mountains, forests, caves, rivers, and waterfalls.

Agricultural film locations include cattle farms, as well as soybean, corn, cotton, and tobacco plantations. Lumber mills are available for filming. The state breeds Tennessee Walking Horses. The state mines coal, zinc, copper, silver, marble, and lead. Energy locations include nuclear power plants, coal and gas fired power plants, and hydroelectric dams.

Tennessee has hosted a long list of productions including Walk the Line (2005), The Last Castle (2001), Cast Away (2000), The Green Mile (1999), Gummo (1997), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), The Client (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), The Firm (1993), Days of Thunder (1990), The Evil Dead (1981), Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), and Nashville (1975).

Film locations can be divided into three geographic regions:

Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee is known for the city of Nashville, antebellum homes, historic Civil War battlefields, and famous whiskey distilleries.

Nashville is the state capital and largest city. As the country music capital of America, Nashville is home to the Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) filmed at the Ryman Auditorium. Nashville is famous for its bars and honky-tonks such as Bluebird Cafe, Skull’s Rainbow Room, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Honky Tonk Central, Wildhorse Saloon, and Robert’s Western World. Other Nashville film locations of note include the Parthenon in Centennial Park, War Memorial Auditorium, State Capitol building, Bicentennial Mall, Frist Art Museum, Tennessee State Museum, Willie Nelson and Friends Museum, The Johnny Cash Museum, Patsy Cline Museum, Lane Motor Museum, Belle Meade Historic Site, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, Two Rivers Mansion, Belmont Mansion, Downtown Presbyterian Church, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville Farmers’ Market, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, Nashville Superspeedway, Vanderbilt University campus, and the Mt Juliet Amazon Distribution Center. Nashville (1975) filmed in Centennial Park. Tennessee State Penitentiary featured in Walk the Line (2005), The Last Castle (2001), The Green Mile (1999), and Nashville (1975). Gummo (1997) also filmed in Nashville.

The Green Mile (1999) also filmed around Nashville in locations including Shelbyville, College Grove, Columbia, Lewisburg, Nolensville, and Caney Fork River.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield, and Stones River National Battlefield are Civil War sites.

Burgess Falls and Cummins Falls are beautiful film locations.

Jack Daniel’s Distillery is located in Lynchburg.

Hartsville Nuclear Plant is a defunct power plant located in Hartsville.

West Tennessee

West Tennessee borders the mighty Mississippi River.

Memphis is the home of the Blues, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Beale Street is famous for its lively bars and restaurants. Film locations include Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, National Civil Rights Museum, Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, Cotton Museum, Fire Museum, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Orpheum Theatre, Arcade Restaurant, Woodruff-Fontaine mansion, Mallory-Neely mansion, Memphis Pyramid, Mason Temple, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis Botanic Garden, and Nike’s Distribution Center. The Firm (1993) filmed the Peabody Hotel, Cotton Exchange Building, Mud Island monorail, Elmwood Cemetery, Mississippi River Museum, Union Planters Bank Headquarters Building, Front Street Deli, and Blues City Cafe. Other films that shot in Memphis include Walk the Line (2005), Cast Away (2000), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), and The Client (1994).

Covington was filmed for Walk the Line (2005).

Shiloh National Military Park is a Civil War site.

East Tennessee

East Tennessee is known for the Great Smoky Mountains as well as the cities of Knoxville, Chattanooga, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge.

Knoxville is best known for hosting the 1982 World’s Fair. Film locations of note include World’s Fair Park (Sunsphere, and Tennessee Amphitheater), Neyland Stadium, Market Square, Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville Museum of Art, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Bleak House, Knoxville Botanical Garden, and University of Tennessee campus.

Chattanooga is located at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Film locations include the underground Ruby Falls, Walnut Street Bridge, Tivoli Theatre, Hunter Museum of American Art, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, International Towing & Recovery Museum, Chattanooga National Cemetery, Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, and Raccoon Mountain Caverns.

Gatlinburg is a mountain town known for Gatlinburg Space Needle, Hollywood Star Cars Museum, and Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area and Amusement Park.

Pigeon Forge is known for Dolly Parton’s Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Show, Dollywood’s Splash Country, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show, Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Supper Show, The Island in Pigeon Forge, Titanic Museum, WonderWorks, Alcatraz East Crime Museum, and Old Mill Restaurant.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its lush green mountains, forests, rivers, waterfalls, and an abundance of wildflowers. Clingmans Dome is the highest peak. The Appalachian Trail passes through the park. Cades Cove is an isolated valley known for its homesteads, and scenic mountain views. Synchronous fireflies put on a light show near Elkmont in June.

Bristol Motor Speedway featured in Days of Thunder (1990).

The cabin in The Evil Dead (1981) was filmed in Morristown.

The Jungle Book (1994) filmed in Fall Creek Falls State Park, and Ozone Falls State Natural Area.

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and Sequoyah Nuclear Plant are located in this part of the state.

Tennessee Film Location Permits

Public property is available to filmmakers free of charge. City and / or county film permits are required for shoots on state-owned property, shoots requiring traffic control and shoots that require assistance from local government departments. Proof of insurance is required. Please contact us for location specific information.

When To Shoot?

Tennessee has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians having cooler weather. East Tennessee has spectacular fall colors in early October and the rest of Tennessee has them by early November. The state is subject to tornadoes.

Events of interest to filmmakers and photographers include:

• Civil War Battle of Shiloh re-enactment takes place in April.
• The Bonnaroo Music Festival takes place in June.
• Nashville’s CMA Music Festival takes place in June.
• Synchronous fireflies put on a light show near Elkmont in June.
• Elvis Week takes place in August.

Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in the United States.

Unique Local Stories

Brands are looking for local stories that match their brand narrative. Our local teams are a great lead for sourcing those unique stories and characters.

If you are looking for stories for your next shoot, send us your brief and we will pitch you ideas.

If you have a unique story you would like to pitch to a brand anywhere in the world, pitch us your idea. We have well-established processes to ensure that your ideas are properly seen and protected.

Tennessee Tax Incentives For Filming

Tennessee offers a 25% grant on all qualifying in-state expenditures. Scripted TV series are eligible for an additional 5% grant on resident labor for qualified projects that include a Filmed in TN logo. See the Tennessee Entertainment Commission for more information.

Tennessee Film Crew & Talent

Crew. Tennessee has a good pool of local film crew.

Contact us if you are looking for a Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, or Chattanooga based director, DP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, or any other film crew in Tennessee.

Talent. The local population is predominately Caucasian and African American. Film characters one might associate with the state include country music stars, blues musicians, whiskey distillers, and tobacco-chewing-gun-owning-truck-driving farmers.

Tennessee Film Equipment

Equipment. Tennessee offers some standard and specialised camera, grip, and lighting equipment.

Communications. Communication is key. Our agility and global experience allows us to customise the right communications systems for every shoot.

Web posted casting, scouting, and videoconferencing.

For clients that are unable to attend set we offer a virtual video village solution. This dedicated and secure high-resolution video streaming platform allows clients from one or multiple timezones to view setups without compromise and to participate in real-time with the team on set. Separate systems can be set up for the discrete conversations that are required to make a job run right. Working remotely with our local teams reduces your content production costs, turnaround times, carbon footprint, and risks associated with unpredictable global events.

Tennessee Film-Friendly Accommodation

Please contact us for recommended film friendly hotels in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and other areas of Tennessee.

Final Notes

Safety. Tennessee is a very safe and reliable place for foreign productions to shoot. See here for up to date travel advice.

Down Time. If you’re west then Memphis barbecue, Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Head east to a Nashville honky-tonk. Head farther east for hiking and Tennessee whiskey in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Projects. For an example of TV commercials, stills campaigns, online content, corporate videos, virtual reality 360 content, feature films, TV series and documentaries shot in Tennessee, please see below:

Hire Tennessee Production Support & Shooting Crew

If you are looking for a film or photographic production service company, line producer or fixer for your shoot in Tennessee, please contact us.

If you are looking for a shooting crew for your shoot in Tennessee, such as a director, DoP, photographer, videographer (cameraman / camera operator), camera assistant (focus puller), sound operator, grip, gaffer, stylist, hair and makeup, PA / runner, production driver, please contact us.

We are able to provide you with answers, references and bids quickly.