Variosity Vault

Clerks is a 1994 American independent black-and-white comedy film written, produced, co-edited and directed by Kevin Smith in his debut. The independent film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Jason Mewes, and Lisa Spoonauer, it presents a day in the lives of store clerks Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Anderson) as well as their acquaintances. It is the first of Smith's View Askewniverse films, and introduces several recurring characters, notably Jay and Silent Bob (played by Mewes and Smith respectively). The film was initially shot for $27,575 before its film rights were purchased by Miramax Films and $230,000 was spent on music licensing and editing.