It is not often that one goes out for an evening walk in the neighborhood and sees Simon Baker and Bobby Cannavale from the show Scarpetta walking down the street. The Amazon Prime Video series, while set in Alexandria, Virginia, is in fact filmed in Nashville, Tennessee. More Entertainment News
Shooting Scarpetta Around Nashville
Recently, Scarpetta filmed a scene on a cul-de-sac in Whispering Hills. The filming and the organization that went into it was a well-run machine. Only one street was affected, and those who had to put up with the filmingwere compensated for the inconvenience.
According to a neighbor, the filming took place in and around one home on the street. The owner was moved out and into a bed and breakfast for a month, and all of the furnishings from the house were moved out. For the first day of filming, set in the current time, the house was made to look old and rundown. New landscaping, shutters and a coat of paint were added for a second session of filming several weeks later, making the home look new, as it was in the 1990s.
Watching filming was intriguing, but it was also quite tedious.
“It was really interesting to watch,” said another neighbor. “They filmed this one scene over and over where a car would drive up to the house and Nicole Kidman would walk up to it.”
A neighbor who works out of her house never heard a thing, although there were lots of trucks and cars parked up and down the street. The massive crew and the cast kept what looked like organized chaos moving along. Props, including a SWAT truck and various cars, were given markings and license plates from Alexandria, Virginia then stored in various driveways on the block. Costumes rolled along on racks monitored by costume coordinators. The director sat in a director’s chair with Scarpetta on the back of the folding chair in the front yard of the house watching the progress. Also, on the street was a massive catering van.
Besides this location in Whispering Hills, scenes for Scarpetta have been shot at Belle Meade Mansion, Tennessee’s Greek Revival State Capitol, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Little Hats Market in Germantown, the Absalom Thompson House, the streets of Old Hickory Village, the Williamson County Jail, The Hermitage, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and many other places, including the Market Street Bridge in Chattanooga.
Scarpetta is adapted from the forensic crime drama book series written by Patricia Cornwell. The central character, Kay Scarpetta investigates murders by a serial killer who may have been killing from the 1990s until today, however the story goes back and forth in time from the 1970s.
Growing Film Industry in Tennessee
Nashville and parts of Middle Tennessee have long been the setting for country music videos, but the area has become a key location for filming major television shows, streaming series, and both major and independent movies. Right now, season two of Scarpetta, season two of Nashville 9-1-1, a movie called Connection Pending, as well as several independent films are shooting at various locations around the city. Collectively the shooting for these productions will run from March 2026 until February 2027.
The desire to film in Nashville is being driven by economics from Tennessee’s financial film incentives, the city’s experienced production infrastructure, and the diversity of architecture. Also, as far as Scarpetta is concerned, the fact that executive producer Nicole Kidman maintains a residence in the area doesn’t hurt. Ultimately it is the combination of financial incentives, production infrastructure, and convenience that drives where television shows and streaming series are filmed, even when the story takes place somewhere else. As 9-1-1 Lone Star was filmed in Los Angeles, while Nashville 9-1-1 is truly filmed in the Nashville area.
Economic Impact of Filming in Tennessee
According to the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, Tennessee is fifth in employment in the movie and video production industry, a 64% growth rate over the last ten years. It brings more than $424 million to the state economy every year.
How to Learn What is Filming
One of the ways the Tennessee Entertainment Commission markets the State’s film and television industries is through the creation and distribution of the Tennessee Production Directory. The directory is maintained entirely in-house and is provided FREE to the public.
Local actor and crew resumes, and production inquiries, can be handled through the Tennessee Entertainment Commission or through local casting agencies, such as Jenny Alison Casting. For official updates on production, casting calls, or locations, fans, actors, and aspiring crew can check the commission’s portal.
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