As writers, we strive to develop a unique voice, to express ourselves in ways that are expressly our own. One method for achieving this blend of style and personality on the page is to study the masters, one of whom is filmmaker Spike Lee.
In an article for The Script Lab, David Wayne Young identifies five specific traits that identify a script as a Spike Lee Joint. They include:
- A big, crazy plan and conclusion. Lee is adept at creating powerful scenarios examining big concepts. In BlacKkKlansman, a black cop infiltrates the KKK. In the underrated Bamboozled, a black television writer betrays his principles to create a modern minstrel show. Lee’s films tackle important topics using larger-than-life characters and plot points, and often conclude explosively.
- Unique dialects. The characters in Do the Right Thing speak in the language of their cultures and neighborhoods. White characters often mock or mimic black dialect, revealing their ignorance and racism. Slang and idioms appear frequently.
- External voices start each story. Lee’s films begin with an introduction from a voice external to the story, setting the tone for the film. The words of Malcolm X open Do the Right Thing and Bamboozled, while footage of a white nationalist propaganda film sets the tone for BlacKkKlansman.
- Explicit examinations of anti-black racism. Lee’s focus on the black American experience is an obvious trait of his films, from examining mixed neighborhoods and interracial dating to the experience of black professionals in a white-dominated industry and overt racial hatred. In many cases, Lee shoves his point in the audience’s face, such as when characters take turns making racial slurs in Do the Right Thing or when his protagonist dons blackface at the end of Bamboozled.
- Evocative character descriptions. Lee’s scripts use descriptive, conversational writing to introduce and describe his characters, giving us both the character’s visual traits but insights into their personality.
