- [Narrator] Using Spike Lee's latest achievement,
''Da 5 Blood's'', we look at the trademarks that make him
one of the most iconic voices in the world of filmmaking.
Okay, you know this already but Spike Lee
doesn't make films, he makes joints.
He's said that the word joint,
represents the ingredients of whatever subject matter
he's exploring in a film and the connecting tissue
is that it's coming through him.
In other words, when you're watching a joint,
you're getting a unique experience
that only Spike Lee can deliver.
Spike Lee is famous for his iconic double-dolly shot.
As the name suggests, this is done by
pulling two connected platforms on a single track,
a camera on one platform and an actor on the other.
Creating the illusion of gliding,
the double-dolly can imply that a character
is being pulled towards destiny,
or that they're experiencing a surreal moment.
Rarely setyling for two close ups and a wide,
Lee's camera direction is full of immersive creative shots
and movements.
These include Dutch Angles, which often imply
a world is off balance.
Lower shots to display a sense of control
and higher ones for a lack of control.
Well these are very cool reliable shots,
lets talk about one Spike is really known for.
Spike Lee's films often include shots
were his characters look directly at the fourth wall.
''Da 5 Blood's'' has quite a few of these shots too,
including one with a performance
that you'll have to see to believe.
- I will choose when and how I die.
- [Narrator] Whenever the characters do this,
they aren't looking at the camera.
They're looking at you.
The direct eye contact is one of the many ways
Spike allows his viewers to connect to the characters
on a personal level.
- I consider myself normal, whatever that means.
Some people call me a freak, I hate that word.
I don't believe in it, better yet I don't believe in labels.
- As a celebrated documentarian,
Spike often likes to include archived videos
and photos into his films.
- My (indistinct) won't let me go shoot my brother.
Ours some darker people, ours some poor
hungry people in the mud, for big powerful America
will shoot them for what?
- ''Da 5 Blood's'' for example, contains several clips
from people speaking out on the Vietnam war
and numerous stark reminders of what it cost
for everyone involved.
- I know all about my lai.
- And you GI murder, killer, up in the centurion and babies.
- This establishes that what the viewer is watching
has substantial ties to the real world
and helps understand what's different
as well as similar about a previous psych heist.
A major aesthetic trademark of Spike Lee's work
is highly saturated colors that pop in every single frame.
As well as the occasional filmy grain for added grit.
This creates a vibrant, stimulating atmosphere
that you simply can't look away from.
He also makes frequent use of warm
and cold color filters, whether it's to allude
to a scene's overall tone or to better sell a POV shot.
(men laugh)
(firecrackers pop)
No matter what kind of story Spike tells,
it's always done in bold, engaging
and sometimes unexpected ways.
This might be a lone color sequence
in the otherwise black and white '' She's Gotta Have It''
or a stand-alone musical number in '' School Daze.''
In ''Da 5 Blood's'' case, Lee provides
a remarkable sense of time by making
every Vietnam flashback grainy, four by three
and authentically vintage.
This provides a raw, cerebral experience
of how the characters themselves
likely remember the war, as well as those left behind.
Sure, putting 1975 stamp at the bottom of the screen
might get the same job done, but where's the spirit in that?
(women hum)
(men exclaim)
If you're a real Spike Lee fan, you'll probably notice
a few familiar faces in ''Da 5 Blood's.''
- We bloods.
We got a bond.
- What about my people?
- This is my daughter.
- Is a...
- [Narrator] Spike lee's scripts are often character driven
and are always full of energetic dialogue and crackling wit.
- It's not gonna work.
What's not gonna work though?
- You and me?
What about me and you?
- What we say, when we say it, no questions asked.
Understood?
- Overstood.
- My name is Ben and I ain't spinning.
- He plead innocent.
- To all charges, claims, accusations, allegations
and associations connected to the clansmen
in the oval office, so help me God.
- [Narrator] On top of that, you'll often notice
that Lee's films contain a meticulous use
of repetition in version and rhyming.
- Our blood's don't die we just multiple.
- Soon to be fire.
- [Narrator] And then, there are two words
that Spike really likes to include in his scripts,
- [Man] Wake up!
- [Narrator] You can aways expect to hear someone
saying wake up at least once in a Spike Lee joint.
- Your fellows better wake up or come with the quickness.
- No, no, no, no, no.
- Brady!
Brady wake up.
- What?
- [Narrator] No, Spike isn't afraid
his film put you to sleep.
- You got a little problem waking you this morning,
didn't you-- - Oh please Davy,
I get up with the roosters, I had an early audition.
- [Narrator] Wake up represents looking
at what's going on around you,
and standing up for the greater good.
- [Crowd Of Men] Wake up! (chains jangle)
- [Narrator] Like most tenured film professor's
Lee has a vast knowledge of renowned cinema
and loves paying homage to the classics.
''Da 5 Blood's'' keeps this tradition alive and well
with several allusions to iconic pieces of film history.
- Madness.
Madness! (chuckles)
- Where are your official badges?
- We don't need to stinking official badge!
- What was your name?
- Hedy.
Like Hedy Lamarr.
Old time Hollywood star.
- You like me.
You like me!
- There's no place like home.
There's no place like home. (heels click)
- [Narrator] And if we really keep our eyes peeled,
you may even catch something from his own classic joint.
Spike Lee's work often takes a complex look
at one of many societal issues.
Such as the tension that occurs between races
as well within one.
- The word is excuse me.
(crowd murmurs) - It's not real.
(crowd laughs) - Say what?
- Just say he in a bus to Washington DC.
- LAPD huh?
- That's right.
- Well I hate to break it to you Rivers
but this is not (indistinct)
- I just thought, - Yeah, you just thought.
- [Narrator] In ''Da 5 Blood's''
Lee addresses the exploitation
and unique struggles of African American soldiers
in the Vietnam war as well as other wars.
- [Woman] Black GI, Negroes, are only 11%
of the US populations but among troops here
in Vietnam, you are 32%.
Black GI, is it fair to serve more than the white Americans
that send you here.
- We fought...
In an immoral war that wasn't ours.
For rights, for rights we didn't have.
- [Narrator] Like his other work,
Spike covers this important issue
with the same unmatchable insight
thoughtfulness and finesse that can only be found
in a Spike Lee joint.
Did we miss something?
Let us know in the comments.
- Right on.
Right on.