Clerks (1994)Kevin Smith is one of the many filmmakers I admire, mostly because he managed to find commercial success without taking the conventional route. Fed up that university does not equip him with the skills needed to become a filmmaker, Smith left school during sophomore year and took a portion of the money meant for his studies plus funds from elsewhere into making Clerks, his debut feature film. He worked as a store clerk in the day to make ends meet and then shoot the film within the store itself at night. The entire process went on for a good 21 days with Smith catching only an hour of sleep everyday. Talk about grit and determination. Clerks went on to win an award in Cannes and was picked up by Miramax. Heralding a young but talented filmmaker into indie filmmaking success in Hollywood.
On the whole, production values of Clerks may not match Tarantino's Reservior Dogs but considering that Smith shot everything within his means and limitations and using his friends and family members say a lot about the entrepreneurial spirit that can rarely be replicated elsewhere.
Clerks was made with a mere US$27, 575 but made over US$3 million. To quote SWL, no budget, no issue eh?
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