Watch: Go On Set and BTS with Spike Lee on His 'BLACKkKLANSMAN'
Observe the direction of Brooklyn's finest up close.
Spike Lee's much anticipated narrative feature, BLACKkKLANSMAN, based on the real-life account of Officier Ron Stallworth's 1970s infiltration into the KKK, is set to open in theaters this Friday. Out of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, the film was hailed as one of Lee's definitive best, and, debuting in 1,500 theaters, it may also prove to be one of his most successful at the box office.
With subject matter that feels all too relevant to today's political climate (and with a theatrical release timed to the one year anniversary of the fatal Charlottesville, Virginia protests), the film is destined to become a topic of heavy conversation throughout the rest of 2018.
Starring John David Washington (Denzel's son, who Lee directed numerous times, most notably in 1992's Malcolm X), Adam Driver, and Topher Grace (as Klan leader David Duke), the film appears to be both wild and outrageous, a comedy with deadly, all-too-real implications.
Although we have yet to see the film—stay tuned for further coverage in the weeks ahead—our appetites have been whetted by newly released behind-the-scenes (BTS) footage of the production from November of last year. Of course, there may be a few spoilers involved in the footage below, but much of the video has been edited to focus almost exclusively on the production aspects of the film.
In addition to featuring quite a bit of New York Knicks apparel worn by Mr. Lee, the footage also shows how Lee works with his actors, how he provides simple but specific direction, and how, when the time calls for it, he likes to get in on the fun of dance sequences with his choreographer and ensemble cast.
For such heavy subject matter, Lee keeps a controlled set that's both professional and lighthearted, always keen on intensely watching video playback of the scene playing out in front of him. An adoration for tracking shots—to capture, among other scenes, Duke's white-wardrobed Klan meetings—comes across in the video as well.
Will you be seeing Spike Lee's BLACKkKLANSMAN in theaters this weekend? And if you weren't planning on it, did the BTS video pique your interest? Let us know down in the comments.
