10 Behind-The-Scenes Screw-Ups That Created Iconic Movie Moments
2. Clerks The Iconic Open Sign Exists Because Kevin Smith Could Only Film At Night
One of the most iconic shots in Kevin Smiths slacker-comedy Clerks was Dantes sign informing people that the store really was open, despite the fact all the blinds are down. The film explains away the permanently shut shades by saying that hooligans vandalised it to being unchangeably down, resulting in Dante getting creative in the most slacker-ish way possible. It was a great sight gag and it added to the whole feel of the movies barely-there aesthetic.
Yet the real reason they had to dream up this sign wasnt because they thought it would be funny. The shut blinds were shut for a reason it was night-time, and the store was actually closed. Smith couldnt afford to shut down a store for a days filming he was working on a shoestring budget so had to film at night to save on costs.
So really, if you look at the films shots, the blinds are there not as something thats been vandalised, but as the only things that would break the illusion that wasnt actually day-time. The fact they managed to disguise it by hiding it in plain sight was a stroke of genius.