An article in the Oct 2003 issue of Texas Monthly magazine stated that writer-director-producer Richard Linklater was approached by producer James Jacks while Linklater was promoting his feature film debut, Slacker (1991, see entry). Linklater pitched an idea for a high school film set in the 1970s. Much of the screenplay was based on his own high school experience in Huntsville, TX, according to the 5 Oct 1993 Village Voice, including the hazing rituals depicted in the film. Linklater also named characters after high school classmates, three of whom – Bobby Wooderson, Richard “Pink” Floyd, and Andy Slater – sued Universal for “defamation” and “emotional distress,” claiming that Linklater never asked permission to use their names, as reported in a 10 Dec 2004 LAT item. The outcome of the lawsuit could not be determined as of the writing of this note.
       According to a 19 Mar 1992 HR news brief, the $5-million Dazed and Confused was set to be produced by Linklater’s Detour Filmproduction. Producers James Jacks and Shawn Daniel were said to be “helping out” Linklater, who would have “total independence…to create a director’s piece.” Jacks and Daniel denied the project would be part of their new production deal at Universal Pictures, although it was possible Universal might acquire distribution rights to the finished film in a “negative pick-up” deal. A conflicting report in the 19 Jun 1992 HR stated the film would be Jacks and Daniel’s first under their Universal deal. The film was ultimately released by Gramercy Pictures, a joint venture between Universal and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. The final budget was between $6 and $6.9 million, as cited in the 22 Sep 1993 LAT, 9 Jun 1993 DV, and Oct 2003 Texas Monthly.
       Casting director Don Phillips was called out of retirement to assemble the young cast. Phillips insisted on the freedom to cast unknown actors, although Universal approached up-and-coming star, Brendan Fraser, who passed on the project. Other young actors who auditioned but were not cast included Vince Vaughn and Claire Danes. Phillips lamented there were no female roles left by the time he auditioned Renée Zellweger in Austin, TX. Zellweger made her unofficial feature film debut in Dazed and Confused, in an uncredited cameo in the “beer bust” sequence. Fifteen-year-old Wiley Wiggins, who made his feature film debut as “Mitch Kramer,” was discovered by co-producer Anne Walker-McBay outside Quackenbush’s coffee shop in Austin. Matthew McConaughey, who had never before appeared in a feature film, was discovered by Don Phillips at a Hyatt hotel bar in Austin. McConaughey reportedly earned $300 a day playing “Wooderson,” which grew into a bigger role when Shawn Andrews had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the cast. Actor Rory Cochrane wore a wig for the role of “Slater,” and reportedly improvised his speech at the “Moon Tower” about George and Martha Washington’s love of marijuana. Actress Marisa Ribisi stated that her character, “Cynthia,” was initially supposed to have a crush on “Tony,” played by Anthony Rapp, but the two lacked onscreen chemistry, and it was decided that Cynthia and Wooderson would have a flirtation, instead. Prior to production, Linklater sent the actors individualized mix-tapes of 1970s music to help them get into character.
       Linklater was reportedly concerned that Universal might try to achieve a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) by cutting out scenes showing teen drug use. Thus, he inserted marijuana into as many scenes as possible to make the R-rating unavoidable.
       Linklater met opposition from Universal over the soundtrack. He argued that the film needed genuine 1970s classic rock songs instead of songs re-recorded by current artists, as suggested by the studio. They finally compromised when Linklater agreed to give up his royalties from the soundtrack. A 2 Oct 1993 LAT article stated that the songs licensed for the film cost around $1 million, roughly one-sixth of the total budget. Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” reportedly cost $80,000. Linklater approached the band Led Zeppelin, whose song “Dazed And Confused” inspired the film’s title, offering them $100,000 to use the song “Rock And Roll.” However, Robert Plant rejected the sum as too low.
       Principal photography began in Austin on 13 Jul 1992, according to the 14 Jul 1992 HR production chart. Sometime during filming, sixteen-year-old model-actress Milla Jovovich, who plays “Melissa,” eloped with Shawn Andrews, her onscreen boyfriend, as noted in the 2 Aug 2009 Mail on Sunday [London]. However, the marriage was later annulled.
       An article in the 22 Sep 1993 LAT reported that the MPAA banned Gramercy Pictures’ initial television and print advertisements over unacceptable references to drugs and drug paraphernalia. According to the 24 Sep 1993 LAT, the banned advertisements included a quote from an Us magazine review, calling the film “deliciously accurate in its portrayal of the generation that fell between LSD and R.E.M.,” and Gramercy’s slogan, “Finally! A movie for everyone who DID inhale.” The $3-million marketing campaign included other slogans like, “See it with a bud,” "The film everyone is toking about,” and “Have a nice daze,” as well as an image of a “stoned-out ‘70s happy face.” Gramercy’s press kit was comprised of articles on the “resurgence of marijuana use,” tins bearing the happy-face logo, marijuana earrings, and rolling papers. Also promoting the film, Rory Cochrane appeared in character as “Slater” on the cover of the marijuana magazine High Times, as noted in the 5 Oct 1993 Village Voice. Although the MPAA previously allowed films like 1978’s Up in Smoke to include obvious drug references in advertisements, MPAA chief Jack Valenti acknowledged the rules had become stricter in recent years. A 24 Sep 1993 LAT article noted Gramercy president Russell Schwartz sent a letter to several Hollywood studio heads and marketing executives, hoping to incite a protest against the MPAA’s censorship of the Us quote, stating, “It’s one thing to restrict advertising copy, [but] censorship of a quote from a legitimate media outlet” set a “new, alarming precedent.”
       The theatrical release took place on 24 Sep 1993 on 150 screens in fifteen cities, including Los Angeles, CA, New York City, and the college towns of Madison, WI, and Champagne, IL, as stated in the 22 Sep 1993 LAT. Although the film grossed only $8 million, it went on to become a cult hit, and in the next ten years, earned over $30 million in home video sales and rentals, according to the Oct 2003 Texas Monthly, which also stated that the two-volume soundtrack released by Giant Records sold more than two million copies, to that time.
       Critical reception was largely positive. Many reviewers compared the film to George Lucas’s American Graffiti (1973, see entry), albeit with lower narrative stakes. The soundtrack received consistent praise.
       The Feb 1994 issue of Details magazine included a report on films they considered poorly marketed in 1993, including Dazed and Confused. Gramercy Pictures’ attempt to attract “dope smokers and young people” was deemed ineffective, as were their smiley-face logo that did not appeal to the under-25 crowd, and advertisements that lacked photos of the young, sexy cast. Details also noted Gramercy’s failure to highlight good reviews, including an unexpected rave from The New Yorker, which could have positioned the film as a 1970s version of Barry Levinson’s critically-lauded Diner (1982, see entry).
       Two years after filming, in the summer of 1995, cinematographer Lee Daniel was injured in an automobile accident. A benefit screening of Dazed and Confused was held on 7 Dec 1995, with proceeds going toward Daniel’s medical and rehabilitation costs, as noted in an LAT “Morning Report” column on the day of the screening.
       A home video version of Dazed and Confused was released by the Criterion Collection, as noted in a 5 Jul 2006 Village Voice item. The two-disc DVD set included director’s commentary, deleted scenes, footage from auditions and a ten-year anniversary celebration, and a fifty-minute documentary on the making of the film.
       An 18 Nov 2015 NYT item announced that Richard Linklater’s upcoming Everybody Wants Some, a college baseball film set in 1980, was premiering as the opening-night attraction of the South by Southwest Film Festival. Although the film had been referred to by some as a “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused, Linklater told Creative Screenwriting magazine in a 2014 interview that it was a “continuation” of his 2014 film Boyhood (see entry).
       End credits include the following statements: “Filmed on location in Austin, Texas”; “The producers wish to thank the following for their help in the making of this film: The Austin Police Department; Ivan Bigley; The City of Austin, Texas; Clein & White; Bill Daniel; Travis Johnson; Peter Millius; Mobile Picture Services, Dallas; Chale Nafus; Diane Perella; Jon Sanchez; Pat Sullivan; The Texas Film Commission; Jesse Williams Thomas; David Santos Wilson”; and, “In memory: Kevin Lucas.”