The world of nonfungible tokens — or NFTs — has exploded in recent months, with a number of creators using the growing industry to bring their art to life. One of the most high-profile examples as of late has been director Kevin Smith, who recently announced that he will be auctioning off his latest film, the horror anthology Killroy Was Here, as an NFT. The news quickly drew attention and confusion amid those in the entertainment world, with many questioning exactly how the project would be distributed. In a recent episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, Smith spoke about the decision, particularly with regard to his personal experience with the film industry.
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“There was some consternation online, when we talked about selling Killroy as an NFT. I guess some folks were like ‘That hurts film.’ I completely disagree,” Smith explained. “I talked about it in an interview, a bit of [my] motivation was… in 1997, I was at the South by Southwest film festival. We were doing a panel, and it was a bunch of directors — there was Quentin [Tarantino], Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, George Huang, Steven Soderbergh, and myself. Everyone [was] asking filmmaker-oriented questions, and Quentin got a question at one point, somebody was like ‘How do I be you?’ And Quentin was like ‘Don’t be. This business needs more distributors and exhibitors, so please be that. It has so many filmmakers, but not enough people to get the movies out there.’ And that always stuck with me.”
“The Killroy NFT, when we do it in the second drop, you with the ability — not only to own this one-of-a-kind NFT, but then, in the real world, you get the movie, the hard drives, all the files, the same way as if we sold the movie to a distributor,” Smith continued. “And you get to choose the movie’s future, where it goes, how to distribute it, where to take it — its value having been increased by the fact that you, a complete outsider, just bought it. Some people are like ‘What if the person wins it and doesn’t share with anybody?’ We’re hopefully building in this thing that says ‘If you buy it, you can’t just put it in your wallet.’ I’m not saying you gotta take it out to theaters and stuff, but I’m also going to make myself available — the same way I would if somebody bought a movie I made — to do press and all that stuff around promoting the movie. So it’s a fun way, too, for somebody who’s in the world of crypto — I certainly don’t recommend this for somebody who’s not deep in the world of crypto — you could wind up being a real-world distributor as well. Like, you know it’s an NFT that has value in the world of crypto, but it also has value in the real world as well. It’ll be interesting.”
Smith also announced the launch of Jay and Silent Bob’s Crypto Studio, an NFT gallery that will showcase and sell art surrounding his and Jason Mewes’ iconic characters. Curated by Smith and his crew, the gallery will deal in “Smokin’ Tokens”, which will feature 3D art from different Jay and Silent Bob movies on a monthly basis. The tokens will be available in green, orange, yellow, or purple, and three Platinum Token packs come with all four colors of the Smokin’ Token. There will even be an exclusive Platinum Token, which grants the bearer a “Crypto Cameo” in the upcoming Clerks III.
The first drop also includes a teaser for Killroy, before the film itself is sold as an NFT in Drop 2. The first drop will also feature fanart pieces from an array of artists, with art including Jay, Silent Bob, Moody, Buddy Christ, or The Secret Stash.
What do you think of Kevin Smith selling his latest movie as an NFT? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
