View Askew Productions
Encyclopedia
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
, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson
, Jason Lee
, Jason Mewes
, Brian O'Halloran
and Smith himself are just some of the stars that frequently appear
in projects under the View Askew banner.
, 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 was a critical and commercial failure. This film was soon followed by Chasing Amy
in 1997, and Dogma
in 1999.
Beginning the new millennium View Askew briefly produced Clerks: The Animated Series
, an animated series based on Clerks. They later released Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
, which starred Smith and old friend Jason Mewes
as their characters originated in Clerks and appear in most View Askew and View Askewniverse related material, Jay and Silent Bob
. This film was later followed by the first non-Askewniverse film, Jersey Girl
. Although it was the first film not set within the previously established View Askewniverse, it did feature 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. This film features the main characters of the film Clerks continuing ten years later. This film was also recently followed by the second film not to take place within the View Askewniverse, the controversial, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
.
The company has also released several of Smith's non-fiction works, such as his three question and answer DVDs, An Evening With Kevin Smith
in 2002, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
in 2006, and Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith in 2008. It has also 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 also produced movies for other directors including Malcolm Ingram
(Drawing Flies
, Small Town Gay Bar
), Bryan Johnson
(Vulgar
), Vincent Pereira
(A Better Place
), and Brian Lynch (Big Helium Dog
).
The original logo of the company was a clown with a 5 o' clock shadow in women's lingerie and platform pumps. The logo was later changed to a cartoon Jay and Silent Bob.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
founded by Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
and Scott Mosier
Scott Mosier
Scott A Mosier is an American-Canadian film producer, editor, podcaster and actor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he co-hosts the weekly podcast, Smodcast.-Early life:...
in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
, Jeff Anderson
Jeff Anderson
Jeffrey Allan "Jeff" Anderson is an American film actor, film director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in Clerks and Clerks II...
, Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson (filmmaker)
Bryan Lee Johnson is a writer, actor, podcaster and director associated with 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 fan Steve-Dave Pulasti. Because of his friendship with Smith, he was often...
, Jason Lee
Jason Lee (actor)
Jason Michael Lee is an American actor and skateboarder known for his role as the title character on the NBC television series My Name is Earl, his portrayal of Syndrome in the film The Incredibles, his role as Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and his work with director Kevin...
, Jason Mewes
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes is an American television, film actor, and internet radio show host best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.-Early life:...
, Brian O'Halloran
Brian O'Halloran
Brian Christopher O'Halloran is an American actor best known for his roles in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films, notably as Dante Hicks in Smith's debut film Clerks and its 2006 sequel, Clerks II...
and Smith himself are just some of the stars that frequently appear
Casting in Kevin Smith films
Kevin Smiths films often feature the same actors, including Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams , Jason Mewes, and Matt Damon. Other well-known performers featured in more than one Smith film include Chris Rock, Shannen Doherty, George Carlin, Ethan Suplee, Joe Quesada, Jason Biggs, Casey...
in projects under the View Askew banner.
History
Smith and Mosier founded the company in 1994 to produce their first film, ClerksClerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
, which was the first film in what is now known as the View Askewniverse
View Askewniverse
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,...
. After the film became a success View Askew obtained a larger budget and produced Mallrats
Mallrats
Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in Eden Prairie Center and Osowski's Flea Market which are located in Minnesota...
in 1995, which was a critical and commercial failure. This film was soon followed by Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....
in 1997, and Dogma
Dogma (film)
Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,...
in 1999.
Beginning the new millennium View Askew briefly produced Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks is an American animated sitcom based on Kevin Smith's 1994 comedy 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.-Cast:- Broadcast history :Only two episodes...
, an animated series based on Clerks. They later released Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks...
, which starred Smith and old friend Jason Mewes
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes is an American television, film actor, and internet radio show host best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.-Early life:...
as their characters originated in Clerks and appear in most View Askew and View Askewniverse related material, Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks....
. This film was later followed by the first non-Askewniverse film, Jersey Girl
Jersey Girl (2004 film)
Jersey Girl is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith...
. Although it was the first film not set within the previously established View Askewniverse, it did feature many of Smith's frequent cast members.
Two years after Jersey Girl, View Askew released Clerks II
Clerks II
Clerks II is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth and latest feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse...
, the first true sequel to a previous Smith film. This film features the main characters of the film Clerks continuing ten years later. This film was also recently followed by the second film not to take place within the View Askewniverse, the controversial, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed by The Weinstein Company, and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It is Smith's second film not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set in New Jersey. It was...
.
The company has also released several of Smith's non-fiction works, such as his three question and answer DVDs, An Evening With Kevin Smith
An Evening with Kevin Smith
An Evening with Kevin Smith is a DVD featuring Question and Answer sessions that the writer and filmmaker Kevin Smith held with his fans at various American colleges in 2001/2002. The colleges were: Clark University, Cornell University, Indiana University, Kent State University and University of...
in 2002, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder is the second Kevin Smith Q&A DVD. The footage is taken from Kevin's Q&As at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and the Criterion Theatre in London and was released on November 28, 2006...
in 2006, and Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith in 2008. It has also produced Sucks Less with Kevin Smith
Sucks Less with Kevin Smith
Sucks Less with Kevin Smith is a show done in partnership with MTVu, an MTV channel aimed at college students. The show airs weekly on MTVu, on Amp'd Mobile phones, and on...
, 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 also produced movies for other directors including Malcolm Ingram
Malcolm Ingram
Malcolm Ingram is a Canadian independent film director, pornographic film director, and podcaster. He was born in 1968 and hails from Toronto. He has made Drawing Flies under View Askew Productions, which was produced by Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith, Tail Lights Fade, and Small Town Gay Bar, a...
(Drawing Flies
Drawing Flies
For the Soundgarden song of the same name see Drawing Flies .Drawing Flies is a View Askew Production made by two Canadian filmmakers, Malcolm Ingram and Matt Gissing...
, Small Town Gay Bar
Small Town Gay Bar
Small Town Gay Bar is a 2006 documentary directed by Malcolm Ingram that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi, and one in Meridian, Mississippi...
), Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson (filmmaker)
Bryan Lee Johnson is a writer, actor, podcaster and director associated with 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 fan Steve-Dave Pulasti. Because of his friendship with Smith, he was often...
(Vulgar
Vulgar (film)
Vulgar is a 2000 film, produced by View Askew Productions and featuring a few actors from the View Askewniverse of Kevin Smith. The film is the tale of the mascot, featured in Clerks opening.-Plot:...
), Vincent Pereira
Vincent Pereira
Vincent Pereira is an American independent filmmaker, known for his work with Kevin Smith and View Askew. He is regarded as the unofficial "View Askew Historian".-Background:Pereira was born and raised in New Jersey...
(A Better Place
A Better Place
A Better Place is a 1997 American independent film, written and directed by Vincent Pereira. It stars Robert DiPatri and Eion Bailey. It was produced in association with View Askew, Kevin Smith's production company, and released to DVD by Synapse Films...
), and Brian Lynch (Big Helium Dog
Big Helium Dog
Big Helium Dog is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring and supporting roles....
).
The original logo of the company was a clown with a 5 o' clock shadow in women's lingerie and platform pumps. The logo was later changed to a cartoon Jay and Silent Bob.
Films
- ClerksClerksClerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
(1994; with Miramax FilmsMiramax FilmsMiramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
) - MallratsMallratsMallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in Eden Prairie Center and Osowski's Flea Market which are located in Minnesota...
(1995; with Gramercy PicturesGramercy PicturesGramercy Pictures was a film distributor launched in 1992, a joint venture of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Gramercy, a so-called "mini-major," was the distributor of PolyGram movies in the United States and Canada...
) - Drawing FliesDrawing FliesFor the Soundgarden song of the same name see Drawing Flies .Drawing Flies is a View Askew Production made by two Canadian filmmakers, Malcolm Ingram and Matt Gissing...
(1996) - Chasing AmyChasing AmyChasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....
(1997; with Miramax) - A Better PlaceA Better PlaceA Better Place is a 1997 American independent film, written and directed by Vincent Pereira. It stars Robert DiPatri and Eion Bailey. It was produced in association with View Askew, Kevin Smith's production company, and released to DVD by Synapse Films...
(1997) - Big Helium DogBig Helium DogBig Helium Dog is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring and supporting roles....
(1999) - DogmaDogma (film)Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,...
(1999; with LionsgateLions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
; Miramax sold distribution rights) - VulgarVulgar (film)Vulgar is a 2000 film, produced by View Askew Productions and featuring a few actors from the View Askewniverse of Kevin Smith. The film is the tale of the mascot, featured in Clerks opening.-Plot:...
(2000; with Lionsgate) - Jay and Silent Bob Strike BackJay and Silent Bob Strike BackJay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks...
(2001; with Dimension FilmsDimension FilmsDimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
) - Jersey GirlJersey Girl (2004 film)Jersey Girl is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith...
(2004; with Miramax) - Clerks IIClerks IIClerks II is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth and latest feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse...
(2006; with The Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
and Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
) - Small Town Gay BarSmall Town Gay BarSmall Town Gay Bar is a 2006 documentary directed by Malcolm Ingram that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi, and one in Meridian, Mississippi...
(2006) - Zack and Miri Make a PornoZack and Miri Make a PornoZack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed by The Weinstein Company, and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It is Smith's second film not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set in New Jersey. It was...
(2008; with The Weinstien Company)
Television shows
- Clerks: The Animated SeriesClerks: The Animated SeriesClerks is an American animated sitcom based on Kevin Smith's 1994 comedy 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.-Cast:- Broadcast history :Only two episodes...
(2000) – ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
External links
- The View Askewniverse - Company’s homepage
- News Askew - Latest updates