Spike Lee hasn’t made that many videos. But those he has made reveal a lot about his career, and the ways he’s refused to let himself be pigeonholed by others’ concerns and expectations.

What started as a hobby for the director—one born of his success with The Godfather—became a thriving business, and perhaps a metaphor for his filmmaking style.

The prolific musician has a comparatively slight directorial resumé, made up of ragtag, fascinating films that are more personally revealing than work made by directors with way more knowhow.

Cameron Crowe's rock-journalism career heavily informs his film work, and both navigate a fine line between sincerity and sappiness. His lead characters mimic his early life either literally or metaphorically, but at least he knows it.