Last week, a special friend of mine gifted me with an expedition to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It was viscerally overwhelming for one whose passion forever has been in this world. It will take multiple visits, and millions of hours to digest its offerings. HOWEVER when we walked into one room, I was personally transported back to a rather hilarious and transformational chapter in my life.
Spike Lee. Yes, there is an entire room devoted to Spike Lee, and simply taking one step in and spying a poster with ’40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks’, I flew back in time to the late 80’s.
The movie industry had discovered Charleston, South Carolina and rather than transport entire crews from the west coast and New York, Spike Lee decided to create a film school, with an emphasis on educating the local black men. In order for him to get state funding for this project, he needed a ‘single white female head of house’ to be in the program as well.
WELL, I had been in the theater world for years, and had my own children’s theater company, and also happened to be newly divorced with two daughters. I received a call from the office of the South Carolina Film Commission, offering me this space.
AN UNBELIEVABLE ADVENTURE ENSUED.
Monty Ross, Spike Lee’s partner in creating 40 Acres and a Mule was our teacher. Every single class…from camera to directing to editing to casting to you name it, was entirely black men except for moi!
During the first week, we all watched the movie ‘The Conversation”, with Gene Hackman. On the first day with the eyes of a continuity person, the second day with the eyes of a dialogue person…and on and on. During that week I sat in the front and raised my hand with question after question and I was boo-ed and told to SIT DOWN AND STOP BEING SO SMART….with a teasing vibe, but still….
By the end of our training when I raised my hand everyone would say ‘You need to listen to her, no matter what, she KNOWS THINGS.’
Hahaha. The weeks between that first week and ‘She knows things’ was a v-e-r-y colorful ride! And one that I treasure. And one that changed my life.
Thank you, Spike Lee and Monty Ross, and Margot, for the visit to this room at the museum.