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Kevin and David Make a Porno
A conversation with Zack and Miri Make a Porno director Kevin Smith and cinematographer David Klein
For writer-director Kevin Smith and cinematographer David Klein, the first time is a charm. But so is the second, and the third… The longtime collaborators are aiming for a sixth successful project when Zack and Miri Make a Porno hits theaters Friday, October 31.
The duo met while in film school in Vancouver, Canada, but, as many know, Smith didn’t make it through to graduation. “I dropped out after four months because it was about theory with no hands-on filmmaking,” the director recalls. So, he went home to Red Bank, NJ and began writing a script about the people he met while working as a clerk in a local convenience store. “[Producer] Scott Mosier was in our class. We had an agreement that the other guy would help whoever finished writing a script first. We called David and sent him my script.”
Klein read it and asked, “When do we start shooting?”
The result was Clerks, which was produced in black-and-white with a single 16mm camera while Smith worked two shifts in the store. He cast actors from a local theater group and they shot scenes from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. for 21 days.
“I wish I could say shooting in black and white was an aesthetic decision, but it was about money,” Smith admits. “There were fluorescent lights in the store. Dave said if we shot Clerks in color, we would have to gel the lights or turn them off and rent our own. It was also more expensive to process color film, and our budget was $27,575.”
After the movie won awards and critical raves at Sundance and Cannes, the Weinstein brothers picked it up for Miramax. The deal marked a shift for collaborators Smith, Klein and Mosier as they produced Mallrats (1995), their first 35mm co-venture, and Chasing Amy (1997) in the years following.
“I was living my dream with Kevin and Scott, but it got put on hold,” Klein says. The producers who ultimately funded Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl insisted that Smith work with more experienced cinematographers for the projects. So Klein spent time earning credits on other directors’ movies.
“I missed working with David,” Smith says. “It was like being separated from my twin brother. We push each other.” So, in “preparing to produce Clerks II, I said there was no way I was making a sequel without the guy who shot the original film. There is a synergy between us that shows up on the screen. We hadn’t worked together for nine years, but it was like yesterday.”
In the end, Clerks II was the catalyst for what was to come. “While we were in pre-production Harvey Weinstein asked what I wanted to do next,” Smith adds. “I told him my idea for Zack and Miri. He said, ‘You have a green light. That will be our next film together.’” The idea had been percolating in Smith’s imagination in different shapes and forms for about 10 years.
Don’t let the provocative title fool you. Yes, the movie follows Zack and Miri (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) as they attempt to make a porno, but ultimately, it’s a love story about that guy and gal who sat next to you in high school. Still friends years after graduation and now facing financial troubles, they find a solution in the adult film industry. In the process, they fall in love with each other and with moviemaking.
It was during post-production of Clerks II that Smith had a passing introduction to Rogen—literally—as the actor was entering a doorway while the director was walking out. After seeing Rogen’s performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Smith decided he would be perfect as Zack and sent him an e-mail. The director received a response within two minutes that said, “Send the script.”
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