Where Was School Daze Filmed? Awesome Spike Lee Classic!

Black culture and lifestyle have to be one of the most stereotyped things in Hollywood. Whether it’s gang violence or the depiction of black people as thugs, it never stops. So we often need movies and directors who are ready to break these walls. Which has been done in a great way in the movie School Daze. Today we will tell you where was School Daze filmed and everything else about the movie! 

While Spike Lee had produced movies since 1983, it was in 1987 that he decided to give School Daze a shot. It was his second feature film. It is said that School Daze is based on the real-life experiences faced by Lee during his college days in the late 1970s. Lee’s experiences as a Morehouse student in the Atlanta University Center served as an inspiration for the movie.

So, where was School Daze filmed? The movie is based on real events but the Mission College in it doesn’t really exist. But real-life campuses were used to replicate the college campus of Mission College. The campuses of Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University were used to film the entire movie. 

The filming locations being actually college campuses means that there is a degree of authenticity to the scenes in the movie. While it could have been easier to simply use a set in a studio, the power behind using real colleges shines through. So locations are key. As we have learned to see from filming locations of movies like The Hunt, Winter In Vail and so many more!

The Plot Of School Daze | What Is The Movie About?

Before we move on to see where was School Daze filmed, we need to see what the movie is about. Of course, since Spike Lee’s own life serves as an inspiration behind the movie, you can actually feel the tension in it. The vibe which you get from something non-fictional is unmatched. It is also scary to think that something depicted in the movies was actually happening to a person in real life!

School Daze follows the life of Vaughn Dunlap, a new student at Mission College. Dunlap is very active in social and political affairs, thinking every black person needs to be as aware as possible. On campus, Dunlap initiates a protest, that asks Mission college to stop investments in South Africa, because of their apartheid history. 

He soon finds himself in a lap of trouble as the college president asks him to simmer down the protests. Since the anti-apartheid protests are gaining momentum, the school board is worried that would scare off other potential and ‘rich’ donors. Dunlap is steadfast in his morals and refuses to be bogged down by the system.

With Mission College being a historically black college, Dunlap is further shocked at seeing his treatment by his peers. Other black friends with affiliations to different frats have become elitists and socialists, and they shun their activist friends to the shadows. Shedding a light on racism within the blacks themselves, School Daze is truly an eye-opener!

Where Was School Daze Filmed? All The Locations You Need To Know About!

School Daze also breaks the wall at the climax as Dunlap speaks to the audience, telling them to wake up. This is not only important to send a message but speaks greatly about the severity of the issue. The racism faced by people of their own skin color, is somehow even worse than racism from others.

So where did it all go down? Where was School Daze filmed? All in one location and that is Arizona. But let’s check out where exactly!

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Spike Lee wanted to make sure his actual experiences were appropriately transferred into the film as well. And for that to happen he had to go back to his own college, where it all went down. Since he could not actually ‘defame’ his college, the college in the movie is fictional. But the movie was filmed at college campuses across Atlanta.

Colleges across Atlanta, Georgia

Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University campuses were used for the filming of the movie. The filming was also done at Moris Brown college. That is because, during the filming, board members of the colleges raised objections to the sensitivity of the matter.

As such Morris Brown college came in as a stand-in for Morehouse College. Another key thing that Spike Lee did was to create real tension. He segregated one part of the crew that was supposed to fight with another part of the crew. As Dunlap takes on the fraternities and sororities, the black students in the college were put up against one another.

Spike Lee made the crew live separately. One of the group stayed in a luxurious hotel, while the others were treated scantily. This created a rift between the crew which made many of the scenes in the movie real and engaging. The conflict also created a false sense of elitism and classism.

This off-screen genius helped created on-screen brilliance. The emotions were real and raw which made the emotions in the movie quite palpable. That is why School Daze has been highly revered. The unscripted moments made it what it is and enshrined it as a classic.

Final Words

So, there you have it, folks! We really hope now you know where was School Daze filmed! The movie has been instrumental in exploring ‘black history’ and ‘black culture.’ Some have even called School Daze instrumental in raising awareness about issues like racial biases in American society. For people who have not experienced racism in the flesh, School Daze is a real eye-opener!

We hope you liked our research on the filming locations of the movie. We also recommend that you check out where shows like Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, and others were filmed! Also, if you have a personal favorite, then drop a comment below and we will try to get you all the information that you need!