Spike Lee Inspires Students in Tallahassee

Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee, 50, was welcomed to Tallahassee with a standing ovation on April 3, 2007 at Florida State University's Ruby Diamond Auditorium.

"Flew in from Atlanta today. Anyone watch the game last night?" While motioning his arms in a gator chomp, Spike Lee was referring to Florida State University's rival, the University of Florida and their win over Ohio State to clinch the NCAA National Basketball Championship. The crowd booed.

Spike Lee continued how he enjoys being in Florida because it's "known for some funny counting." The crowd laughed at his joke poking fun at hanging chads from the 2000 U.S. Presidential election.

"Katrina fatigue"
A New Orleans friend recently called Spike Lee to tell him how the levee pumps were not properly working. He then asked the audience if they knew their former governor [Jeb Bush] was a co-owner of the company making those pumps. "How did he get the contract?"

Lee met his friend while filming his 2006 documentary about Hurricane Katrina. Called "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," the film documents the lives of people in New Orleans, telling their side of devastation and survival.

Spike Lee proceeded to describe "Katrina fatigue," the phenomenon within the United States that people living outside the Gulf Coast region believe things are back to normal in New Orleans. Despite seeing happy images of Mardi Gras and football returning to the Superdome, "things are not back to normal in New Orleans," Lee said.

"Americans have short attention spans," he continued. "[they've] moved on to who's going to be the next American Idol."

"...didn't know what I was doing."
Speaking to a crowd primarily of Florida State University and Florida A & M University students, Spike Lee's lecture focused on the life of a young filmmaker. He described his triumphs and struggles earning an undergraduate's degree at Atlanta's Morehouse College followed by a master's at New York University. His thesis film, "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop" (1983) earned him a Student Academy Award.

While spending more than a year as a struggling young filmmaker, he wrote "She's Gotta Have It" (1986). The film was shot in 12 days for $175,000 and made $8.5 million. Since money was tight, Spike Lee saved empty soda cans and bottles and redeemed them for the nickel deposits. With the money, he was able to buy two extra rolls of film to shoot the flick.

"School Daze" (1988) was Lee's next film. He summed it up as "four years at an African American institution [Morehouse College] packed into a homecoming weekend."

With his third film, "Do the Right Thing" (1989), Lee admitted to realizing his confidence as a filmmaker. "With the first two, didn't know what I was doing."

"...these prominent African Americans came together so you could go see it ["Malcom X"].
"Malcom X" (1992) starring Denzel Washington "solidified what I wanted to do," Spike Lee told the Tallahassee crowd. But Warner Brothers' bond company shut down post-production of "Malcom X" due to the movie being over budget.

Having studied Malcom's "self-reliance," Spike Lee started to think of all the African American friends he knew as banks. He reached out to Janet Jackson, "Ms. Winfrey" and Prince asking for money. The filmmaker joked how he called Bill Cosby first and asked for a small amount.

With each call he asked for a little bit more, knowing these people would not receive a write-off or return on investment. He called Magic Johnson then Michael Jordan. Knowing Jordan is competitive, "I made a point to tell him how much Magic gave." The Tallahassee crowd laughed.

Recognizing the importance of Malcom X's story, "these prominent African Americans came together so you could go see it," the filmmaker said.

"...I am blessed."
"I say my prayers every night because I am blessed," Spike Lee told the audience. "I'm blessed because I'm doing what I love. I love cinema. Why is that a blessing? Because many people go to their grave doing a job they f***ing hate." The youthful Tallahassee crowd cheered.

"Hope [your] major is something you love and not something you can make a lot of money from," Lee said. He then repeated the statement and proceeded to emphasize the importance of a support network in pursuing career dreams. Recognizing parents are not always understanding in following the heart, Spike Lee said, "[it's] still possible to love your parents and still do what you want to do," and then discussed his strong family network.

"Just can't do it by yourself. Need positive, supportive people around you," the audience applauded. "If you have negative people around you, they gotta go."

Following Spike Lee's 45-minute lecture, he fielded audience questions including those from Tallahassee student filmmakers. Lee may just be launching the career of a young, Tallahassee production company called El Cee Productions. They presented Spike Lee with a DVD of their locally produced and televised show called, "My Brother's Keeper." After learning "My Brother's Keeper" is about the everyday life and challenges of African American college students (even addressing the down-low) Lee said, "I'll watch it tonight."