November 6th and 7th, 2004 - GX Media part of "Criminal History" History Channel shoot in downtown Knoxville
Is it possible to turn a back alley in downtown Knoxville into an accurate representation of an ancient Roman marketplace? Well, The History Channel thought so, and that's exactly what they did. Imagine an outdoor market complete with live chickens, fruit, produce, hay, gladiators, slaves, prostitutes, pottery and wagons, all crammed into a narrow space behind an abandoned warehouse. The result? Ancient Rome in Knoxville, Tennessee.
All this to film segments for an upcoming show on The History Channel entitled "Ancient Crimes: Rome," which will examine the law, order and justice of old Rome. Knoxville-based Jupiter Entertainment was in charge of production, and GX Media's Brian Greer and Wash Rogers were hired as freelance production assistants for the two-day shoot. It was a grueling weekend, as GX and other members of the crew put in back-to-back 18-hour days assisting in many aspects of the production.
The first day of shooting began Saturday morning at the 17-million dollar Coneley Home on Lyons View Pike. The architecture of the home matched that of Roman times, so with clever camera angles, a luxurious modern home was transformed into an exterior Roman courthouse. After production wrapped at the Coneley home, the crew moved downtown to begin setting the scene for the next day's exterior scenes.
Sunday's outdoor scenes were filmed in an alley behind the Fire Street Lofts on West Jackson Avenue. The interior shots were filmed in the abandoned building that Knoxvillians may remember as the old club "The Underground." Many extras were cast and then dressed in authentic Roman garb to complete the look and feel of having an ancient civilization right in your own backyard.
The show will feature gladiator battles, slaves being tortured, a mock trial, and naturally, a recreation of the murder of Julius Caesar. The show should air sometime next year on The History Channel, so be on the look out for it. In the meantime, check out some of the production photos we took on location to get an idea of just how elaborate the set designs and costumes truly were.
- Brian Greer
Note: The working title during production of the pilot filmed by Jupiter Entertainment was "Ancient Crime: Rome." It was later renamed to "Criminal History" and broadcast on The History Channel as a special in 2005.
