People Who Inspired Me to be a Writer: Spike Lee

Have you ever watched a movie that was more than a movie? I mean, like it had a real life effect on you in a way that impacted your real world experiences? Well that’s what I recieved from all of Spike Lee’s movies. He is one of my all time favorite filmmakers and he is an incredible storyteller who inspired me as a writer.

Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee was born on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jacqueline is who gave him the nickname Spike. His mother was a teacher of art and Black literature and his father James was a Jazz musician and composer, so one could naturally assume that it was in his blood to be an artist. His mother’s expertise on Black literature and history and his father’s Jazz influence would both serve as inspiration for the future works of his filmmaking career. His younger cousin Malcolm would also follow the path of filmmaking

By the 1980’s Lee’s biggest passion was becoming a filmmaker. After earning a Master of Fine Arts in film and television degree from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Lee set sail on his journey of filmmaking. The first official production he ever made was a short film titled Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads in 1983 for his master degree thesis while he was still at Tisch. The film was crime/drama centered around the discussion environment and ongoings of a group of customers at a barbershop in the neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York.

Spike Lee’s first film that would be his first big win was the 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It, which Lee not only wrote and directed, but co-starred in as well. The film would become very successful both critically and commercially, grossing over 7 million dollars on a budget of just $175,000. The film recieved a lot of credit for its role in ushering in the 1980’s wave of independent films and new age Black cinema.

Lee’s biggest break would come in the form of his second full length film, which would become his landmark film and one of the most important films in cinematic history, 1989’s Do The Right Thing.Written, directed by and starring Lee himself. Do The Right Thing was Spike Lee’s social examination of race relations between Blacks and Italians in 1989 New York City. The film was captivating because of its depiction of the tension created by racism and the unrest that follows as an effect. The themes of race explored in this film become a common reoccurring theme in most of Lee’s future works.

For me, Spike Lee is more than just a filmmaker and a great storyteller. What makes his artistry so captivating is how he can put the emotions of his characters inside of his viewers. When I first saw Do The Right Thing I didn’t just see what the characters saw, but I felt what they felt. I understood exactly why the civil unrest erupted at the end of the movie such as it did. The fact at matter is even in my own time I’ve witnessed racial injustice and the chaos it leads to, so Spike Lee wasn’t just telling a story, he was talking about real life and that plays a big role in what I aspire for as a writer, to not just tell stories, but incorporate real life subject that effects my audience so much that they can’t stop dissecting the real life parallels of my story.

I remember the very first time I ever watched the biopic Malcolm X from Spike Lee, starring the incomparable Denzel Washington. This movie effected me so much that even at the toddler age I was it made me seek a sense of Knowledge of self. I learned them from Spike Lee that your work can not only open the mind, but inspire your audience to go out and make meaningful choices.

When I was kid my mother always stressed the importance of learning my Black history. She was the reason why I studied my heritage so much. When I learned that Spike Lee’s mother influenced him with her expertise in Black literature that only reaffirmed my desire to incorporate this love and knowledge of one’s history into my work as a writer.

Spike Lee being an auteur of cinema goes without question. The way he fleshes out a story and characters is among the most engaging style of storytelling any filmmaker has ever brought to the screen, but more than anything it is the impact he made as a Black filmmaker and storyteller that must not be forgotten. As a Black artist, Spike Lee to Black filmmakers both behind the lens as well as the front out of the box of stereotypes and to a whole new level of advancement and creativity. He showed us that we don’t have to just fit the comfort level of mainstream America. We can do things our own way as Black artist, even if the rest of the world rejects us.

Every Black filmmaker that has come along since Spike Lee first emerged owes him a great deal of credit for the doors he opened. As a writer, I certainly owe him a great deal of credit because he showed me what it means to be a captivating storyteller, how to always appreciate my heritage and not be afraid to tell my Black stories and I will carry those lessons with me to my grave. This Black History Month I salute Spike Lee, one of my heroes of filmmaking who inspired me to be a writer.