Kevin Smith: Independent Dropout

1. Kevin Smith: Independent Dropout By Tom Whidden

2. Kevin Smith • Born on August 2nd, 1970 in Red Bank, NJ • Graduated from Henry Hudson High School in Highlands, NJ in 1988. • Worked at a Convenience /Video store after high school. After the realization of maintaining a dead end job hit, he enrolled in Vancouver Film School in 1992. • While attending, he met his future producer Scott Mosier. The two agreed to each write a script and whoever finished first would have theirs made.

3. Smith dropped out mid semester to save his tuition for the cost of Clerks. • He returned home and rushed into writing, to ensure his film was the one made. • The result was 1994’s

4. Clerks. • Clerks was Smith’s first attempt at a motion picture. • It was filmed on a budget of only $26,800. • The film is centered around two slackers working in a Convenience / Video Store.

5. Clerks was filmed almost entirely in the Quick-Stop store Smith actually based the story off of. They filmed after close. • Smith financed the production himself by maxing out every credit card he could apply for and using his tuition. • The movie was entered into the Sundance where Smith won the Filmmakers trophy. • The movie was picked up my Miramax for distribution. The Weinsteins walked out of the 1st screening but were convinced to stay until the “37” scene.

6. Mallrats was Smith’s second feature. • The plot based around two newly single friends and the seemingly random events that occur while at the mall. • The film was considered a flop, pulling in a total $2.1 million. The budget was $6.1. • Despite critical reviews, the film found a home on DVD and has since sold millions of copies, becoming an underground hit.

7. New Friends • Smith became close with the stars of Mallrats. He began dating Joey Lauren Adams, and found friends in up-and-comers Ben Affleck and Jason Lee. • He used these newfound friends in his next feature; Chasing Amy. • The use of these actors helped to jumpstart Lee’s acting career and gave Affleck the ability to write his own movie for which he won and Oscar.

8. Smith’s third venture into film was 1997’s Chasing Amy, a film about a man who falls in love with a lesbian. • It was received extremely well commercially and critically. • It solidified Smith’s career as a filmmaker. • This let him to make 1999’s Dogma with a larger budget and an ensemble cast.

9. Controversy • Although the release of Dogma was a hit with critics and audiences alike, the religious plot sparked some controversy within the catholic community. • The film contained some questionable religious views that Smith, a devote Catholic, repeatedly stated were light-hearted and contained no blasphemous content.

10. Back to Basics • After 2 death threats and a brick through his mother’s window, Smith retaliated with his next two movies. • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl were two genuine comedies with little possibility of offense. • After fan retaliation for the lack of Jay and Silent Bob in Jersey Girl, Smith wrote up a sequel to the movie that started it all, Clerks 2.

11. Clerks 2 used a modest budget of $5 million compared to Jersey’s $30m • Gained a theatrical gross of over $27 million. • Hardcore fans of Smith’s praised the film instead of the criticizing the sequel to a movie they loved from 12 years before.

12. Present Day • Today, Smith resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Jen and Daughter Harley (Quinn, of batman) • He is currently in preproduction for his film Zack and Miri. • Once he wraps the shoot, he will venture into new territory, presenting his fans with a horror movie entitled Red State.

13. Works Cited • Clerks 10th Anniversary DVD (2004) • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/ • http://www.viewaskew.com/ • Clerks 2 (2006) Again?