Kevin Smith is notoriously late for class.
“I have a strict never-be-on-time policy,” said the
writer-director and actor behind such films as “Clerks”
and “Dogma.” “That’s why I don’t wear
a watch. Then I can say, “˜I didn’t
know!'”
Smith rolls into the classroom 20 minutes late, wearing overly
baggy shorts, checkered Vans and his trademark jacket. The students
roll their eyes as he sits in the back, popping bubblegum.
“Sometimes I wish I could just go back to high
school,” Smith said. “That is why this class thing is
so cool ““ because I get to be a student again. And then they
say, “˜No, dickhead; you’re the
teacher!'”
Despite his informal entrances and relaxed demeanor, Kevin Smith
is, in fact, UCLA’s newest professor.
Graduate students from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and
Television have teamed up with the esteemed filmmaker Kevin Smith
and UCLA lecturer Rory Kelly to write, shoot and produce a new
series for mtvU called “Sucks Less, With Kevin
Smith.”
The program will premiere tomorrow on three platforms: mtvU,
mtvU.com and Amp’d Mobile phones as part of the
groundbreaking mobisodes project, bringing entertainment-based
video programming to mobile devices. The creative process behind
the show will also be documented and played in small segments.
Hosted by Smith from within his Westwood comic book store, Jay
and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, the short weekly program will
draw attention to movies, video games, music, comic books and
must-attend attractions and events around the country.
“Originally when we were talking about the show, it was
called “˜For Those Who Can’t Get Laid.’ Barbara
Boyle (chair of the UCLA Department of Film, Television, and
Digital Media) said that ain’t gonna fly,” Smith
said.
Unlike many “what to do” entertainment programs,
“Sucks Less” humorously gives weekend tips both for and
from college students.
“This is not somebody who’s not in college telling
you what’s cool,” said Ross Martin, head of programming
for mtvU. “They are college students hanging out with Kevin
Smith, talking about stuff you might want to check out this
weekend. It has a feeling of authenticity to it.”
While the students act as the entire crew for the program, they
are also the on-screen stars.
“There is something to be said for the education of being
in front of the camera, if you want to be someone who’s
behind the camera,” Smith said. “You’ll learn a
lot about directing by being directed.”
Approximately 20 UCLA graduate students from different areas of
the film and television program ““ including producing,
critical studies, directing, cinematography and screenwriting –
applied and were chosen to collaborate in bringing “Sucks
Less” to life.
“The collaboration here is much different than how we do
it on our own (at school) ““ we’re usually the director,
writer, producer and editor. It becomes a very one-person
world,” said Michael Bodie, a second-year directing
student.
“Here, you have to be open to everyone’s input.
It’s more like the real world in that sense.”
The collaborative nature of the “Sucks Less” project
extends to the involvement of Smith and mtvU as well.
After receiving UCLA’s Jack Benny Award last year, Smith
was approached to form a project with UCLA. Then, when asked to
write the MTV Movie Awards (and politely declined), Smith forged a
relationship with MTV.
“I told MTV, “˜I think I’m too old for you
guys.’ But then they told me about mtvU,” Smith
said.
Though Smith had a less-than-rewarding experience teaching a
film production course at his high school after the production of
“Mallrats,” Smith was drawn to the UCLA-mtvU project
for the students, but also because of the program’s college
audience.
“The students are actually getting to produce something
that is guaranteed to have an audience,” the filmmaker said.
“When you make your thesis film, or something like that, you
hope people see it. With “˜Sucks Less,’ people are going
to see it.”
To guarantee at least some viewers, Amp’d Mobile
underwrote the UCLA course in exchange for the rights to show the
program on their phones.
“It’s a weird mashup of the commercial and the
collegiate. I don’t know how often that happens: World Lit
sponsored by Pepsi?” Smith said.
Through its unique, multiplatform programming, “Sucks
Less, With Kevin Smith” represents the growing “new
media” arena.
“This is a way of empowering some of the most talented
college students in America to experiment with a new format,
emerging technologies and platforms in unprecedented ways,”
Martin said.
According to Brian Decubellis, supervising producer of the
project, the multiplatform viewing will bring a larger audience,
but it will also provide points of comparison among several new
media arenas.
“We’re excited because on the mobile side, it is
very cutting edge,” he said. “To see how the program
will play on several screens over the course of a series is very
exciting for us.”
Smith is unsure about the future of mobile entertainment, but
nonetheless excited about the potential audience for his
brainchild.
“I don’t get mtvU. And I guess I could watch it
online,” Smith said. “But hopefully someone will put it
on YouTube, and I can watch it illegally.”
From post-production music and writing the scripts to traveling
across the country to experience undiscovered American excitement,
Smith, Kelly and their students are making media history.
“We know we’re not curing cancer, but we’re
actually doing something that’s kind of cool,” Smith
said. “The kids ““ the grad students ““ are great.
So far, it’s been pretty easy. The hardest part of the
experience has been getting here on time.”