Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
Spike Lee
FilmmakerKnown for:
Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992)
Education:
Morehouse College (BA, Mass Communication, 1979); NYU Tisch School of the Arts (MFA, Film, 1982)
Spike Lee made She's Gotta Have It (1986) independently for under $200,000 and Do the Right Thing (1989), both landmarks in American independent cinema that centered Black American experience in the mainstream for the first time at that scale. He has maintained an independent production base in Brooklyn throughout his career. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman (2018).
Spike Lee's Gear List(1)
ARRI
Connection note
Lee used Arriflex cameras for "Do the Right Thing" (1989) and "Malcolm X" (1992). His cinematographer Ernest Dickerson has discussed the equipment in interviews.
Product description
The Arriflex 35 BL (Blimped Lightweight), introduced in 1972, was the first self-blimped 35mm motion picture camera quiet enough for sync-sound shooting without an external housing. Its mirror-reflex viewfinder and rugged construction made it a standard tool in European and independent filmmaking from the 1970s onward.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
