Film-maker Spike Lee (pictured) learnt from an early age that success does not come easy nor does it come overnight but from "making things happen".

After he won the Student Academy Award at the film school he went to, he said, "Like all young people, I thought with the award in my hand, I could just sit in my studio and these dudes would call me and give me a job because I was talented.

"But a funny thing happens when you’re sitting around and waiting – the phone gets cut off, the electricity goes off, and so does the gas. I was sitting in the dark, with no heat, no phone, no light.

"That’s when I realised, I got to get off my skinny black butt and make things happen."

It took him another three years before he made "She’s Gotta Have It" for US$175,000, the first movie that brought his name to public attention.

Speaking at the Global Brand Forum in Singapore, Lee said, "There is no such animal as overnight success. You have to bust your butt to make it happen. It takes timing, hard work, talent and luck. You make your luck by working very hard."

It also takes the support of loved ones. His grandmother, who lived to be 100, gave him the seed money for "She’s Gotta Have It".

"Parents kill more dreams of their children than anybody else," said Lee. "They think because they are older, they know better and they say, why don’t you do something that makes steady money?

"What I’m doing now is what I love. If you make a living doing what you love, you’re a winner."

He also knew that if he wanted to go on making independent films, he knew he had to make Spike Lee a brand.

"I am very careful with that brand, for example, with endorsements. I know what I’m going to do and what I am not doing to do. Sometimes, people put a lot of money my way and it’s best to walk away if it doesn’t fit my brand."

Talking about the Nokia project he’s working on where he will edit a movie based on videos submitted by the public, Lee said, "I strongly believe in the very near future we will all pay to see a film shot on a digital phone."

But whatever the method of delivery, Lee believes, "People want to watch stories."

"With the proliferation of digital technology, everybody feels they are a film-maker now. There is a glut of material. For you to stand out among the glut, you need to develop a unique voice that will separate you from everyone else."

His latest movie, "Miracle at St Anna", (see trailer below) is based on the James McBride book and tells the story of four black soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in Tuscany, Italy. "Up to 1946, the armed forces of the USA were segregated. I wanted to share the story of the black man’s role in the war because every movie that’s ever been made about World War II has been about the white man."

It’s also the first time he’s gone outside the US to make a movie. "I knew I had to start looking outside the Hollywood system to make my films and I had to think globally."

Language, he thought, would be a barrier "but it’s not such a big deal."

He is eyeing Africa for his next movie. "After that, Asia," he said.

"Miracle at St Anna" trailer. Courtesy of CinemaCentral & YouTube.com