National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Clerks was written and directed by Kevin Smith and released in 1994 through Miramax Films after its celebrated debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Shot on black-and-white 16mm film for roughly $27,000 and later blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution, it became a defining work of American independent cinema, launching the View Askewniverse and establishing Smith as a major voice of his generation.

This cell presents the animated Clerks title card, with its colorful stacked logo set against a black background. The frame appears three times across the strip, with the third instance showing evidence of a light leak or splice — a small physical record of the film's journey through projection and distribution in its original 35mm theatrical life.