Behind the Scenes: Spike Lee’s Oscar Commercials
In 2006, the Academy commissioned Spike Lee to direct a series of short television commercials to promote the 79th Annual Academy Awards, which took place on February 25, 2007.
In August of 2006, in New York City, Lee would film 123 individuals delivering iconic lines from Academy Award-winning and nominated films. Six commercials were released and aired on ABC and its affiliates.
The Academy Film Archive holds the master elements to the commercials, including dailies and behind-the-scenes footage of the 2006 shoot.
The Academy’s series “By Any Means Necessary: A Spike Lee Joints Retrospective” kicks off on June 26 with a screening of 25th Hour (http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2014/06/25th-hour.html) and the opening of the exhibit “WAKE UP! David C. Lee Photographs the Films of Spike Lee” at the Linwood Dunn Theater (http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/exhibitions/2014/06/wake-up.html). The exhibit showcases photographs by David C. Lee taken on the sets of his brother’s films over the years. The Spike Lee retrospective continues with a screening on June 27, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Do the Right Thing (http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2014/06/do-the-right-thing.html) and in July at the Linwood Dunn Theater and the Bing Theater (http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/index.html).
