1888-1970 On the corner of 58 Leonard Ave. Leonardo, New Jersey, is a building that was first built between 1950 and 1953. This building originally held two stores (1953), then three, including the future RST Video (1957). It was later expanded to include an apartment and what would later become the Quick Stop Groceries (1963).
08/02/1970 Kevin Patrick Smith is born in Red Bank, NJ. He would be raised in Highlands, NJ.
Portrayed by the baby that is covered in chocolate, like a beard.
1984-1988 Smith attends Harry Hudson Regional High School. Meets Brian Johnson, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson and Walt Flannigan. Befriends Johnson and Flannigan, but hesitates on friending Mewes due to his youth.
1988 Smith graduates High School and began working at a youth center. Soon befriends Mewes because they both love comics (and also because Smith thinks he's funny).
1988-1991 Smith lands job at RST Video/Quick Stop making $5 an hour. Smith is happy because he can now watch movies while getting paid.
Model of Quick Stop and RST Video as they looked in Clerks.
08/02/1991 Smith's 21st birthday. He traveled to New York where he watched the movie "Slackers" and became inspired to make his own movie. He'll soon find an ad in The Village Voice for Vancouver Film School and call them from the Quick Stop to have them send an application.
02/27/1992 After paying a $75 application fee, Smith applied to Vancouver Film School and was accepted about a month later. Meets Scott Mosier and Dave Kline.
The first page of Kevin Smith's application for Vancouver Film School.
Mid 1992 While on break, Smith/Mosier/Kline try to make a documentary about a trans woman named Mae, but fail because Mae backed out in the last minute. They salvage the documentary and renamed it Mae Day and made it about how they failed to make the documentary they wanted to make. Smith then starts writing "Clerks" (originally called "Inconvenience"). He also has ideas for a movie called "God".
July 1992 Smith drops out of film school and gets half of his $9,000 tuition back. Goes back to NJ and begins working at the Quick Stop again with the intention of filming and directing a movie there.
12/08/1992 First draft of Clerks is complete. Sends the script to Scott Mosier who likes it. They decide Dave Kline should be the director of photography. Because the Quick Stop had florescent lighting, Kline suggest they either rent a lighting kit or film the movie in black and white. Smith decides on black and white.
12/12/1992 A Nor'easter flooded NJ. Smith's home is flooded/car is totaled. He received $3,000 from FEMA.
From Smith's Clerks production journal, 03/04/1993.
03/19/1993 Auditions for Clerks at First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands. Smith meets Brian O'Halloran who was cast as Dante and Marilyn Ghigliotti who was cast as Veronica. Jeff Anderson was cast as Randal and Mewes was cast as Jay while Smith would cast himself as Silent Bob. The role of Caitlin was soon after cast by Lisa Spoonauer. They would rehearse until production.
04/15/1993 Production begins with Smith/Mosier/Kline/O'Halloran/Anderson/Mewes/Johnson/etc. at the Quick Stop and RST Video Store.
Clerks production still with Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson.
05/06/1993 Production ends. Clerks is edited inside the RST Video store. Clerks put Smith $27,575 in debt.
10/03/1993 1st Clerks Screening @ Angelika Film Center on Sun 11am for the IFFM . Empty.
10/1993 Bob Hawk sees Clerks, recommends it to Peter Broderick who recommends it to Amy Taubin. Taubin calls Smith/asks for a copy of Clerks. Broderick calls Smith/Tells John Pierson about Clerks.
10/15/1993 Smith writes a $50 check to the Sundance Film Festival.
10/20/1993 Mark Tusk from Miramax fax's Kevin about Clerks. Wants to see movie. Asks about Sundance.
10/26/1993 Taubin's article on Clerks is published.
Early 11/1993 Smith gets call from Pierson. Pierson likes Clerks, but doesn't know if the audience exists for it.
11/12/1993 Pierson calls Smith again. Hawk and Pierson advises Smith to cut the ending.
11/1993 Tusk sets up a screening of Clerks for Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein walked out after 15 minutes.
01/22/1994 First Sundance Screening. Full house. Lots of laughs.
01/28/1994 Final Sundance Screening. Weinstein attends and sees it plays well with an audience. Weinstein offers to buy Clerks from Smith for $227,000. Smith would keep Jay & Bob characters so he could put them in another movie.
05/12/1994 First Cannes International Film Festival screening.
05/23/1994 Final Cannes screening.
10/4-11/1994 MPAA rates Clerks NC-17. Miramax appeals and rating is brought down to an R.
10/19/1994 Clerks released in theaters. Makes $3.2 million at the box office.
11/29/1994 Smith finishes first draft of "Mallrats".
02/14/1995 2nd (shooting) draft of Mallrats is finished.
02/20-03/03/1995 Crews begin set constructions at the Eden Prairie Center.
03/1995 Smith begins dating Joey Lauren Adams.
03/06-17/1995 Mallrats is in production.
Mallrats production still with Jason Lee and Jeremy London.
08/24/1995 Smith's first visit to San Diego Comic Con. Mallrats premieres to thunderous applause.
10/20/1995 Mallrats is released. Makes only $2.1 million with a budget of $6.1 million.
03/25/1996 Chasing Amy begins production.
Photo of the cast of Chasing Amy.
05/15/1996 Smith finishes third draft of "Dogma" (Formally God).
11/27/1996 Smith finishes fourth draft of Dogma.
01/1997 Smith bought Comixology for $30,000 with his Clerks money and put Walt Flanagan in charge. Becomes Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash.
01/31/1997 Smith completes a draft of Superman Lives for Warner Bros. Rejected by Tim Burton.
04/04/1997 Chasing Amy is released. Makes $12 million with a budget of $250,000.
06/1997 Smith and Adams break up.
02/16/1998 Smith finishes fifth draft of Dogma.
02/17/1998 Jay and Silent Bob shorts are aired on MTV.
04/25/1999 Smith married Jennifer Schwalbach at Skywalker Ranch.
05/21/1999 Dogma debuted at Cannes.
06/26/1999 Smith's daughter, Harley-Quinn Smith was born.
11/12/1999 Dogma is released. Makes $44 million with a budget of $10 million.
|
07/01/2000
08/24/2001 02/05/2007 05/2008 04/18/2017 02/25/2018 |
Smith finishes first draft of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back".
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is released. Makes $33.8 million out of a budget of $22 million. Smith and Mosier begin their first episode of Smodcast. Smith joins Twitter. Smith and Mosier celebrate ten years of Smodcast. Smith suffers a heart attack in-between recording sessions at a live show called "Silent But Deadly" in Glendale, California. He was taken to Glendale Adventist Hospital where he says his "life was saved". The next morning he posted a video, detailing what had happened. |