My inspirations predominantly come from artists who were forced to adapt to having little budget and access to equipment. One of the finest examples of this is Kevin Smith. In 1994 he wrote, directed, produced and starred in the movie Clerks. Clerks is a movie which encapsulated the apathy of Generation X as the two protagonists are stuck in dead end jobs with little chance of improving their lives due to finances and lack of motivation as they undergo yet another day as store “Clerks”. Smith created this movie on an immensely tight budget of $28k. Shooting predominantly took place in Smiths own workplace at night after closing and this is explained in storyline as someone had jammed gum into the window shutter locks preventing them from opening and getting any natural light. This led to Clerks having a very strong visual aesthetic as the film was shot in black and white to accommodate for the lighting issues that would occur if shot in colour, increasing the post production time.
By collaborating with several friends on the project he managed to complete a gruelling 21-day shoot with very little sleep in between as he toiled over the movie by night and worked in the store by day. This effort proved to be fruitful as Clerks earned 3.2 Million dollars at the box office and projected Smith toward many creative projects after. Another reason I find this creator to be inspirational is due to his ability to write dialogue that closely resembles many of the debates, arguments and jokes I have had within my own social circle.
I find this story to be inspiring, a man who felt he had a vision he wanted to share with the world and put everything he had on the line to make it happen.
References
Decider. 2020. Kevin Smith Says Harvey Weinstein Refused To Pay Him Royalties For ‘Clerks’. [online] Available at: <https://decider.com/2020/04/12/kevin-smith-says-harvey-weinstein-refused-to-pay-him-royalties-for-clerks/> [Accessed 17 November 2020].
Logo and Screenshot
Clerks, USA (1994) Directed by Kevin Smith (DVD) View Askew Productions
