Digital Video magazine — March 2012
Inside the Secret Stash: ‘Comic Book Men’ Captures Kevin Smith’s Unconventional Universe

Comic book fans have been flocking to AMC in February to watch the cable channel’s new unscripted series, Comic Book Men, which dives deep into fan boy culture, following the antics in and around filmmaker Kevin Smith’s iconic New Jersey comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.

Primarily known for his role as Silent Bob, Smith has written, directed, produced and acted in films including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II. For AMC’s Comic Book Men, Smith keeps a watchful eye over Secret Stash, where staff and customers alike geek out over mind-blowing pop culture artifacts and the legends behind them.

Leading the crew behind the counter is moody manager Walt, followed by uber-nerd and comic book virtuoso Mike, Ming, the shop’s technical expert and go-to whipping boy, and career slacker Brian, who doesn’t actually work at the Stash but can always be found perched on a stool behind the front counter. As the team buys, sells and discovers the treasures of the comic collecting world, they share all the juicy details with Kevin through their outrageous podcast, which is woven throughout the series.

DP Jeremy Schneider sought to create a distinctive look for the six one-hour episodes of the series, employing saturated hues reminiscent of comic books and designing a lighting scheme for the store that would allow the crew to shoot in a 360-degree panorama. (Read more…)