Before Kevin Smith made his breakthrough into the film industry with his debut film “Clerks,” he was what some people would call a “slacker” from New Jersey. When that slacker took a brief detour to the Vancouver Film School back in 1992, he met his future long-time collaborator Scott Mosier, who would go on to produce every one of Smith’s films from “Clerks” to “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”
While Kevin Smith was only at the Vancouver Film School for a few months, he did manage to make a short documentary with Mosier called “Mae Day – The Crumbling of a Documentary.” The ten-minute film explores Smith and Mosier’s failure to go through with a documentary about a local transsexual named Emelda Mae. Smith and Mosier narrate the film with their faces only appearing as silhouettes. Their tone, which is fairly sardonic, is quite different from their classmates who seem legitimately disappointed about the documentary’s failure. Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, of course, would go on to become a Sundance success just two years later. It would be interesting to hear what their former Vancouver Film School classmates think about that.
Nowadays, Kevin Smith does a lot more podcasting than moviemaking, but he has kept himself busy with a number of films lately … films based on his podcasts. He has delayed shooting “Clerks III” to work on “Tusk” and “Comes The Krampus.” He also has “Helena Handbag” on his plate as well. But if you ever wondered why Smith has avoided making a documentary, your best bet is to watch ‘Mae Day.’ Check it below. [Open Culture]