The Film Panel Notetaker

“The Business of Kevin Smith” @ SXSW
Monday, March 12, 2012 @ 12:30 p.m.
Austin Convention Center

Moderator:
Bob Moczydlowsky, Topspin

With:
Kevin Smith, Director
Monday, March 12, 2012 @ 12:30 p.m.
Written by Rebecca Banach

Kevin Smith acts like he’s had 1,000 cups of coffee before he speaks to an audience. He’s incredibly high strung and energetic. He’s also incredibly likeable. Kevin Smith is a Hollywood man who doesn’t act Hollywood.

His most famous character, Silent Bob, is based on his father. His parents encouraged him to go to college and get a simple job. A waiter, to be exact, because he wasn’t ’scholastically fit.’

Kevin has always wanted to push the envelope and create projects that have never been done before and he’s always wanted his friends to act in his films, not necessarily major movie stars. Ben Affleck has been a major presence in his films and also a good punch line.

When it came to ‘Clerks,’ he thought ‘If I don’t make this movie I will die.”

Most notably his likeable sidekick in most of his movies has been Jason Mewes, playing Jay to his Silent Bob. Jay has been a lifelong friend and Kevin helped him overcome his drug addiction.His latest film, ‘Red State’ was loosely based on the Westboro Baptist Church. He chose to bypass the ‘Hollywood experience’ and promote it himself. He traveled the U.S. and sold individual tickets.

He got the ’strength to walk away from film’ and he and The Mewes’ started to do podcasts. It eventually became ‘Jay and Silent Bob Get Old,’ according to Kevin.

After listening to Kevin Smith, ‘the man who moderates himself,’ you have a whole new appreciation of the creative spirit behind Silent Bob, the man who never speaks. He’s a man who cares about his audience and he entertains without even trying.