National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Clerks arrived in 1994 through Miramax Films after its celebrated debut at Sundance, where Kevin Smith's debut feature announced a new voice in American independent cinema. Shot for roughly $27,000 on black-and-white 16mm later blown up to 35mm, the film's raw, dialogue-driven portrait of New Jersey convenience store life resonated with a generation and helped define the decade's independent film movement.

This cell, titled Randal Graves, captures three frames from a single shot featuring Silent Bob, portrayed by Kevin Smith himself. The sequence shows hands cradling a salsa jar in close detail, with a subtle shift in finger position across the frames and an outdoor environment visible behind. The third frame carries confirmed facial recognition of Smith, making this a quietly personal piece of the film's physical record.