Spike Lee has always been one of the many directors who in always wanted to keep his or her audience socially aware. Spike Lee is an American filmmaker, producer, writer, and actor. He is most known for his films such as: Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing and School Daze which made Lee famous, making him one of the most, if not the most, important Black filmmakers of today. Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from Georgia to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-based upbringing. His father Bill Lee was a jazz musician, and his mother Mary Lee, a schoolteacher. There he attended John Dewey High School. He his nickname of "Spike" from his mother. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating from Morehouse, Lee attended the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program. While attending film school, he made his first student film for his thesis called Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads" which won an Academy award for "Best Student Film" At New York University, he received his Master's degree of Fine Arts in Film & Television. Lee's experience at NYU Tisch School of the Arts was very difficult due to being one of the few African American students. While Lee's experiences, race, and background all led him to create controversial films that provided audiences with an insight into racial issues, elements of his signature cinematic style are directly influenced by the works of fellow filmmaker Martin Scorsese which can be seen in his classic films: Do the Right Thing and She's Gotta Have It.
Martin Scorsese has been acknowledged as he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinema history. Hailing from Flushing, New York, Scorsese is known for his gritty, meticulous filmmaking style and is widely considered one of the most important directors of his generation.