View Askew Productions

Last updated
View Askew Productions
Company type Film/television production company
Industry Television series, motion pictures
Genre Comedy
FoundedOctober 15, 1994;29 years ago (1994-10-15)
Founders Kevin Smith
Scott Mosier
Headquarters10 Mechanic St. Ste. #120, ,
U.S.

View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.

Contents

History

Smith and Mosier founded the company in 1994 to produce their first film, Clerks , which was the first film in what is now known as the View Askewniverse. After the film became a success View Askew obtained a larger budget and produced Mallrats in 1995, which underperformed critically and commercially but found success after being released on home video. It was followed by 1997's Chasing Amy and 1999's Dogma .

In 2000, View Askew briefly produced Clerks: The Animated Series , a short-lived animated series based on Clerks, which only aired six episodes. They released Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back , which starred Smith and Jason Mewes as their characters Jay and Silent Bob. It was followed by the first non-Askewniverse film, Jersey Girl , which featured many of Smith's frequent cast members.

Two years after Jersey Girl, View Askew released Clerks II , the first true sequel to a previous Smith film, which features the main characters of the film Clerks continuing ten years later. This film was followed by the second non-Askewniverse film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno .

The company has released several of Smith's non-fiction works, such as his four question and answer DVDs, An Evening With Kevin Smith in 2002, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder in 2006, Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith in 2008 and Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 in 2011. It has produced Sucks Less with Kevin Smith , a show which features (at least) three UCLA students who are enrolled in a class about cinematography in which Smith is their teacher.

In addition to the various Smith-directed films, the company has produced movies for other directors including Malcolm Ingram's Drawing Flies and Small Town Gay Bar , Bryan Johnson's Vulgar , Vincent Pereira's A Better Place , and Brian Lynch's Big Helium Dog .

The company's logo was originally a smiling clown with a 5 o' clock shadow dressed in women's lingerie and platform pumps, named "Vulgar" which gained controversy due to its content and was later changed to a cartoon Jay and Silent Bob with film equipment. In 2022, with the release of Clerks III , the logo changed again, this time to Vulgar's face.

Films

Television shows

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

<i>Dogma</i> (film) 1999 fantasy comedy film by Kevin Smith

Dogma is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Linda Fiorentino, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, Bud Cort, Alan Rickman, Alanis Morissette in her feature film debut, and Jason Mewes. It is the fourth film in Smith's View Askewniverse series. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson, stars of the first Askewniverse film Clerks, appear in the film, as do Smith regulars Scott Mosier, Dwight Ewell, Walt Flanagan, and Bryan Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay and Silent Bob</span> Fictional characters

Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Smith.

<i>Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back</i> 2001 American film directed by Kevin Smith

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of Smith's cult-favorite Clerks. It stars Jason Mewes and Smith respectively as the two eponymous characters. The film also stars Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, and Chris Rock, among many others, most of which in cameo appearances. The title and logo for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are direct references to The Empire Strikes Back.

<i>Clerks</i> (film) 1994 film by Kevin Smith

Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut.

<i>Mallrats</i> 1995 film by Kevin Smith

Mallrats is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. It is the second film in the View Askewniverse and a prequel to 1994's Clerks.

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The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.

<i>Clerks: The Animated Series</i> American animated sitcom

Clerks is an American adult animated sitcom created by Kevin Smith for ABC. Based on Smith's 1994 comedy film of the same name, it was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver, known for character designs in Disney Channel's Kim Possible and Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. It is the first television show to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse. It is Disney’s second adult animated television series after The PJs.

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Bryan Lee Johnson is an American podcaster, actor, television personality, screenwriter and comic book writer associated with filmmaker Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse. He is best known by his local fame in New Jersey and appearances in Smith's New Jersey films as comic book store owner Steve-Dave Pulasti. He was also the basis for the Clerks character Randal Graves.

In the comic Oni Double Feature #1, a story titled "Walt Flanagan's Dog" appears and tells the adventure of Jay and Silent Bob having an encounter with Walt Flanagan's dog, Krypto.

<i>Zack and Miri Make a Porno</i> 2008 comedy film by Kevin Smith

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 American sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It was released on October 31, 2008. The film follows the lives of friends Zack and Miri, who are facing financial troubles and decide to make an adult film to solve their problems. The film was produced by Scott Mosier and was released by The Weinstein Company. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was a modest box-office success, grossing $42.8 million on its $24 million budget.

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<i>Jay and Silent Bob Reboot</i> 2019 film by Kevin Smith

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<i>Clerks III</i> 2022 comedy film by Kevin Smith

Clerks III is a 2022 American dark comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson and Smith. It serves as a sequel to the 1994 and 2006 Clerks films, and is the ninth overall feature film set in the View Askewniverse. In the film, Randal Graves, after surviving a massive heart attack, enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante Hicks, Elias Grover, and Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop Convenience store that started it all.

References

  1. "KEVIN SMITH REVEALS 'JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT' DETAILS AND RELEASE DATE". May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  2. McNary, Dave (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith Filming Horror Movie 'Killroy Was Here' at Florida College". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. Mathai, Jeremy (August 2, 2021). "'Clerks 3' Has Officially Begun Production". /Film . Retrieved August 2, 2021.