“Legendary Filmmaker Leaves Impact in Filmmaking community
and around the world”
We have been losing some amazing icons in a variety of
industries. Some people who have left their mark on this planet. It breaks our
hearts of course it hurts but when you leave your mark you leave your history,
your story, and you change the world I believe in this…. “When you are fortunate to live
on this amazing, beguiling, and ever-changing planet you can leave footprints
in the sand, send shooting stars and comets across the sky, or you can simply
just blow in the wind.”-Chloe J. Riccardo
I knew I
had to write this story it struck me and I had a feeling it was coming when the
news broke I knew right away who this person was and how his life and story has
changed so many of us around the world who want to tell stories whether through
media, film, acting, or through other ways of expression.
This person left
paintbrush, canvas, and painted his mark with a stamp and then some. Legendary
filmmaker, John Singleton passed away yesterday April 29, 2019. I wanted to
discuss this topic because I have realized his impact in the art, film, and all
creative industries he touched many people around the world.
The word
genius exists for a reason because you simply think to yourself “Why didn’t I
think or create something amazing and powerful like that?” I believe we all are
here for many purposes and to share our stories and journeys within our
community so we learn what choices to make and what not to make. What can
impact our lives comes from the notion that you have the ability and free
thought to choose what kind of life you want to live.
He did the
same with his films like “Poetic Justice” a film I discussed on my personal blog
when the anniversary came up. Singleton gives you a snapshot of a young African
American woman who is in her twenties living and growing up in a Los Angeles
South Central community after losing and grieving the death of her boyfriend.
She just so happens to channel her emotions and pain through her poetry. We
learn later in the film that her poems were actually written by the amazing
phenomenal woman herself, Maya Angelou. The film has had an impact on the
hip-hop community because it was one of the breakout roles for a young hip-hop
artist named, Tupac Shakur, and a young woman who has become a cultural icon,
Janet Jackson. His impact broke
boundaries and his film translated to the community all around the world.
Myself included I love the story, the music soundtrack, the characters were
relatable, real, and honest. You can easily connect to their story and I think
that’s something that many people can identify with too. You also see issues
being raised within the community at that time back in 1993 with gang related
violence, discrimination, heavy senseless violence, drug abuse, and other
issues are exposed within the story line that just created more consciousness
around us all. How we needed to do better and grow better. John gave many new
actors and actresses all a chance and everyone within his films have gone and
paved the way for many actors, actresses, and filmmakers of color. He studied
at the University of Southern California filmmaking school as well. Their
filmmaking program has launched the career of some gifted directors and
filmmakers. Singleton is definitely included.
His other films and television
projects he was involved in continues today to impact many up and coming
artists daily. Films like the 1991 classic, “Boyz
In the Hood” which launched O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Morris Chestnut, Nia
Long, Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, and Angela Bassett’s careers at
that time. The film told a story of a young man growing up in South Central, LA
with his father he comes to live with him during his teenage years. It is a
coming-of-age story so to speak but he’s dealing with the issue of learning how
to balance being a man and making the right choices. He struggles to deal with
getting involved in the gangster life of some of his friends who sit around
drinking malt liquor and shooting guns. He deals with the issue of becoming a
father too soon and teenage pregnancy. Then he also deals with the issue of
making sure to come out alive within school and his community itself. These are
the stories John helped create and bring on film. He wanted his people to
identify with the characters he created. He wanted to translate the story and
bring it on film. So we all could say to ourselves “That’s me I see myself
within that character, that’s my child, or that’s my neighbor”.
One other
film I saw was how he changed the game with “Higher
Learning” (1995), “Shaft” (2000) “Baby Boy” (2001), and “2 Fast 2 Furious”
(2003) he changed the film industry and took other musicians and artists under
his wing and helped launched their careers like Taraji P. Henson, Tyrese, Chris
“Ludacris” Bridges, and many others who were featured in this film. He changed
their lives. “Baby Boy” a story many of us can relate to within the African
American community a young man is coming of age and struggling with getting out
on his own. He is trying to find his way within his community in his career, as
a father, and a son to his mother. “Baby Boy” is one of those stories where you
get a male perspective so to speak. You see what a young twenty-year old man is
facing day to day. Absentee father issue
comes up when his father may not be present or around his single mother. Singleton
knew how to write and capture a story adding color, life, and making us all
even want to emulate the characters he created. He made us want to become those
people. Some of them were fearless, others were gifted talented, stylish,
beautiful, and some were comical, silly, or funny. He should be known as the
visionary of positive black images. He wanted to tell the truth with his films
and also show what we could become eventually in the future. I believe we may
have exceeded his expectations and then some for the reality and what he really
wanted to see achieved in the film industry, in the African American, and all
minority communities. He will be truly missed by his fans, his family, his
friends, his colleagues, and everyone he touched who loved his films.
John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968-April 29, 2019)
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