Kevin Smith has released a never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes video from his breakout film,Clerks.The 1994 comedy follows convenience store employee Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and video store worker Randall (Jeff Anderson) as they deal with the minutia of day-to-day convenience store life, as well as coping with the likes of drug dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith).Clerkswas a hitwith critics and audiences alike,launching Smith’s career as a filmmaker, and creating a body of work that has lasted for three decades.
The video, posted toSmith’s YouTube channel, starts with a montage of the director slating a series of shots with the clapperboard, followed by a series of outtakes, bloopers, and unused takes. The footage also includes shots of the original ending, in which the convenience store is robbed, and Dante is shot and killed. After behind-the-scenes footage is done, Smith addresses the camera, sharing how the footage in the video came to be, explaining thatthere were 56 minutes of footage foundfrom the originalClerkswork print. Check it out below:
What The BTS Video Means To Kevin Smith Fans
It Should Continue To Please Them
Produced for $27,575,Clerksearned $4 million at the box office andimmediately earned Smith a devoted fanbase. Over the next thirty years, the filmmaker would provide his audiences with a plethora ofClerks-related materialvia his View Askewniverse(named after his production company, View Askew), which all take place in the same film universe, includingMallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!, Jay and Silent Bob RebootandClerks III.
Every Kevin Smith Movie Ranked From Worst To Best (Including Clerks III)
With Clerks III now in circulation, it’s time to look back at the daring films of Kevin Smith’s oddball career, ranked from worst to best.
Smith would also produce the short-lived ABC show,Clerks: The Animated Series,and a series ofClerks-focused short filmsand comic books, all set within the View Askewniverse. Fans of Smith and the universe that he created have eaten up the content he has created, sothis new video should most definitely satisfy them. In the pre-digital, and even pre-DVD world, behind-the-scenes footage, particularly on an ultra-low budget film, was unheard of, making this new video especially meaningful to Smith fans.
Our Take On the BTS Video
It Adds To the Legacy of Kevin Smith
While Smith has stepped away from the View Askewniverse many times throughout his career in films such asRed State, Tusk,andThe 4:30 Movie, he regularly returns to the world he created. However, between his many podcasts, live performances, and social media presence, Smith has escalated from being known as a filmmaker to becoming a celebrity, joining the ranks of such as Stan Lee, Mark Hamill, and Bruce Campbell. ThisClerksvideo is not onlya nice addition to Smith’s body of workbut also adds to his overall reputation.
Clerks
Cast
Clerks follows Dante and Randal, two clerks working at adjoining convenience and video stores. The film explores their mundane yet eventful day-to-day life as they engage with customers, play rooftop hockey, and navigate personal relationships, characterized by sharp wit and casual banter.
