Chattanooga

About Chattanooga

When you think of filming locations in the state of Tennessee, the first places that come to mind will undoubtedly be Nashville and Memphis. They're not the only cities that look good on screen, and you'd be doing yourself and your production a big disservice if you wanted to film in the state and didn't take a scout around Chattanooga.

Chattanooga has been one of the leading light filming locations in Tennessee since the days of black and white. That said, admittedly, it's often been used as a stand-in for other cities, so doesn't always get the credit it deserves. A good example of that is when Chattanooga was used as a replacement for St Louis in the hilarious 2013 comedy movie, Identity Thief, starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

Movies in which Chattanooga does take credit for being itself are Water For Elephants, filmed in 2011 with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in the lead roles. Another A-lister, Jeff Bridges, was in the city well before them when he played the part of an alien in the 1984 movie Starman.

Other big-name stars that have graced the streets of Chattanooga are Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck when they starred in Forces of Nature, and George Clooney when he was the protagonist in Leatherheads.

One well-used filming location in Chattanooga is the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum which has been featured in Fools Parade in 1971, October Sky in 1999, The Adventures of Ociee Nash in 2033, and Heaven's Fall in 2004.

Now that you know that Chattanooga is no stranger to film crews, you may well be considering having a look around to see what's where and if it's suitable for your production as a filming location. Take a look at Giggster at the filming locations in Chattanooga, and you'll probably find yourself saying – alrighty then – as you make a note of what you've seen.

Another good reason for filming in Chattanooga is that there are more incentives and benefits than there are permitting regulations. While there might not be many regulations, you'll still need to know what they are and how to approach filming in this beautiful city the right way, so keep reading.

Do I Need a Filming Permit in Chattanooga?

You may need one (if not more) film permit to film your production in Chattanooga. What permits and how many depend entirely on the type of production you'll be filming and the locations you want to film at.

Each organization has a different permit processing period, which can vary greatly depending on the individual location's management team and their availability. The best thing to do to ensure you have all the permits you need in place before your proposed shoot date is to apply as soon as possible.

You have child actors in the cast

You are using pyrotechnics

You want to film on National Park Services property

You want to film in a Tennessee State Park

Your production involves the closure of roads or sidewalks

Permit Management in Chattanooga

Tennessee Entertainment Commission (TEC)

While it won't be the Tennessee Entertainment Commission who issues you with the permits you need to film in Chattanooga, they will be the first authority you will need to contact.

The Tennessee Entertainment Commission has three branches covering the east, west, and state's middle, but no office is focused on the south, where Chattanooga is located. As your initial contact with the TEC will be online, the geographical locations are irrelevant.

The first thing you will be required to do if you want to film, not just in Chattanooga but in Tennessee, is to complete an Economic Data Submission Form. This form enables the TEC to assess how much and in what way Tennessee will benefit from your production being made there.

The details you will need to submit on the economic data submission form include:

The title of the production

Whether the production is a feature, TV episode, or documentary

The name of the production company

If the project is for a major network

The name, address, and number of a company contact

The location of the proposed shoot

The proposed start and end dates of filming

An estimate of how many local people you will hire

An estimate of how much of the production budget will be spent in the state

Once the TEC has had time to assess your submission, they will contact you about your project. They will advise you on which local government departments to contact for any other permits you may require. There is no standard turnaround time between submitting the TEC and getting feedback, but it's usually relatively swift. Tennessee is only too happy to relieve you of your filming budget so your application won't be sat on a desk gathering dust.

You should be aware that while the initial contact with the TEC might not take long, that's not always applicable to other authorities.

Permit Processing Times

National Parks Service – 10 to 45 days

National Forest Service – 30 to 60 days

The Tennessee Entertainment Commission manages permits for filming in Tennessee State Parks.

What Insurance Do I Need in Chattanooga?

All production companies filming in Tennessee are required to have liability insurance. The Tennessee Entertainment Commission does not stipulate any minimum requirements but insists that workers' compensation is included on the insurance certificate.

As a general rule of thumb, the following are the most common items your insurance certificate should cover:

General Liability

Workers' Compensation

Equipment Insurance

Property Damage Coverage

Drone Liability Insurance – if relevant

Automobile Insurance

If you can’t meet any of these requirements, you’ll need to explain in writing why you can’t meet the requirement to the Office. They will determine if the shoot can go ahead without the necessary insurance.

Note that these requirements are minimum requirements. Larger and more complex shoots may require additional insurance which will be determined by the Office.

What Kind of Filming Locations Are Available in Chattanooga?

There are so many amazing filming locations in Chattanooga that, once you start looking, you really won't know which way to turn. Think of the last thing you'd expect to find in this Tennessee city, and it'll be there, right in front of your eyes.

Starting with the more normal. In Chattanooga, you'll come across internal shoot locations with an undeniable wow factor. Think Zen-inspired conference rooms state-of-the-art bars and restaurants, and even an entire hotel.

There are sports-related facilities like pool halls and gyms, and for something completely different, should you have a use for it, a mobile ax-throwing alley. Rooms full of barrels that can double up as either a brewery or art gallery, classrooms, creative workspaces, and a castle.

Yes, you read that right. A real, Gothic gray-stone, four-turreted castle that has views of four states from its balconies and a working portcullis you can drop down to keep out the marauding masses. That could come in very useful if you have an A-list star in the cast with a large and bothersome fan club.

Chattanooga doesn't disappoint when it comes to external filming locations, either. This city has as many fantastic places, if not more, than San Francisco and Los Angeles. Stunning engineering in the form of bridges like the Walnut Street Bridge, which spans the Tennessee River, the mightily impressive Chickamauga Lock and Dam, and the manmade cascade commemorating the Trail of Tears Downtown.

For superior scenic shots, there's the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway that runs from the St Elmo neighborhood to Point Park. Not to mention Lookout Mountain itself and the stunning Ruby Falls would be criminal.

The views from Moccasin Bend and the Chattanooga National Military Park are beyond compare. The Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden could easily double for the Garden of Eden, and the Racoon Mountain Caverns, with their stalagmites and stalactites, would be a great substitute for a CGI-created underworld. Why go digital when you can get the real thing?

For a blast from the past, it's worth investigating the St Elmo neighborhood in its entirety. There are more houses there on the National Historic Register than there are spots on a Dalmatian. There are so many filming locations everywhere you look in Chattanooga that, once there, you could find yourself, if it were physically possible, doing an owl impression as your head spins full circle to take it all in.

Special Requirements in Chattanooga

Filming With Minors

The state of Tennessee has a rigid set of laws about employing children in entertainment or media-related businesses. As a production company, you will be expected to be aware of the laws and the restrictions that apply to them if you are going to be working with minors in your cast. The Tennessee Entertainment Commission strongly suggests consulting legal counsel before employing child actors in Tennessee to ensure you stay on the right side of the complex Child Labor Laws.

Filming With Animals

If you are planning on filming with any type of domesticated animal, then you will need to contact the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. They may require you to have a special permit if you are bringing the animals in from out of state. They may also want to organize an inspection of the set, working conditions, and off-set areas where the animal will be kept before filming commences.

Using Pyrotechnics

Before you can use pyrotechnics during your production, you will need to contact the Fire Marshall for Hamilton County. They will visit the set to ensure all safety requirements are met regarding the use of the pyrotechnics and may even insist on being present when they are employed. They may also insist that you employ an authorized shooter to manage the pyrotechnics rather than one of your own crew. If so, you will be obliged to obtain a special daily permit for the shooter and also pay for their time.

Pyrotechnics State Shooter Permit Fee - $50 per day

Filming On National Parks Property

It is now a federal law that you must obtain a film permit before filming anything for commercial purposes on National Parks Services terrains or properties. The first step you'll need to take is to submit an application to the management of the park you hope to film in. They may request a pre-production meeting to discuss your project in detail in help decide what fees you will be charged for the use of the location.

You can expect to pay anywhere in the region of:

NPS Basic Location Fees

Cast & Crew of 1 to10 people - $150 per day

Cast & Crew of 11 to 30 people - $250 per day

Cast & Crew of 31 to 49 people - $500 per day

Cast & Crew over 49 people - $750 per day

NPS Film Permit Fee

NPS film permit non-refundable application fee - $90

The application fee should be submitted with the application.

What Does it Cost to Film in Chattanooga?

There are currently no fees associated with getting a film permit from the Tennessee Entertainment Commission to film in Chattanooga. In fact, rather than charge you extortionate fees to film in the locality, the TEC will assist you in getting a rebate on the money you spend while in the state.

Additional Fees

If your production company spends over $200,000 on Qualified Tennessee Expenditures during the filming of your project, then you will be eligible for a 25 percent rebate. It will help make your filming budget go a whole lot further. If you will be in Chattanooga filming for a month or more, you will also be eligible for rebates on the hotel occupancy tax you pay.

Geographical Jurisdiction of Chattanooga?

Chattanooga is a massive urban sprawl that covers over 150 square miles of southern Tennessee. It's the fourth-largest city in the state and is home to approximately 182,000 people. Chattanooga's 11 neighborhoods are divided by the meandering Tennessee River, which intersects the city from the northeast to the northwest. The most southerly neighborhoods of the city lie along the state border with Georgia.

The most northern reach of the city spreads almost to the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park and the outer reaches of Falling Water, Soddy-Daisy, and Middle Valley. To the northwest are Fairmont, Walden, and Signal Mountain, beyond which is the Prentice Cooper State Forest.

To the southeast, Chattanooga is bordered by East Brainerd, Collegedale, and Ooltewah, and to the east, by Harrison. South of Chattanooga, in the state of Georgia, are Wildwood, Rossville, and Graysville.

If your chosen filming location falls outside of the boundaries of Chattanooga, unless it's in Georgia, you will still need to approach the Tennessee Entertainment Commission to begin the permitting process.

Should your chosen filming location be over the state border and in Georgia, you will need to contact the municipal authorities of Catoosa County or Dade County for film permits.

Outreach in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Entertainment Commission does not publish any stipulations regarding outreach either in Chattanooga or in the state of Tennessee. Conducting outreach, whether stipulated or not, is the sign of a professional production company, so don't skip doing it, especially if you're filming in a heavily built-up area.

It's improper to advise the local community close to your filming locations a few days before production. A simple notification letter stating the details of the production company, a name and contact number, and the dates, times, and specific locations you'll be filming at suffices.

It's a good idea to distribute the notification to the residents and businesses around the filming location two to three days before you start filming. That gives people enough time to ask questions or get their complaints off their chests before you take over the neighborhood. It's always good to have the public on your side as they're the ones who will ultimately be the ones viewing your final masterpiece, and the last thing you want before your production debuts is bad press.

Community Management in Chattanooga

Chattanooga, and the state of Tennessee, is a film-friendly place that welcomes production companies with open arms and plenty of financial incentives. That doesn't mean that every single person living in the city agrees. There's always one (and often more) person who likes to go against the grain, and that's something you have to be prepared to deal with, or they can ruin your filming experience, upset the cast and crew, and generally be a massive pain in the butt.

The best way of avoiding confrontations with that odd member of the public who might decide they don't like what you're doing and kick up a storm is to have a community manager on your team. A community manager can also take on the outreach and deal with any comeback you might get after your notifications have been distributed.

A good community manager is personable, outgoing without being over the top, patient, a good listener, and a first-class problem solver. They should be able to diffuse any tricky situation that's thrown at them by the locals without once losing their smile and promote your production at the same time. Yes, good community managers are akin to saints, absolute miracle workers, and essential for trouble-free film shoots. Once you’ve got one, you’ll never know how you managed without one.

Conclusion

There's no denying that Chattanooga is an amazing filming location, and the rebates and incentives offered by the state of Tennessee just make it even better. Whether you're looking for historic city streets or mountain scenery, vintage railways, or a sports field, Chattanooga has them all and more. Why even consider filming anywhere else when Chattanooga is perfect?

City Guide Filming in Chattanooga, TN

Production Permit Fees

Minimum Insurance

Additional Permits

Discounts