Editing John Singleton (section)

== Influences and themes==
Singleton cited filmmaker [[George Lucas]] and Lucas's [[Star Wars (film)|original ''Star Wars'' film]] as one of his strongest influences, as well as the works of filmmaker [[Steven Spielberg]] and playwright [[August Wilson]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Simpson |first=Janice C. |date=1992-03-23 |title=Not Just One of The Boyz: JOHN SINGLETON |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,975139-2,00.html |access-date=2024-10-13 |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=John Singleton|series=The Hollywood Masters|date=March 15, 2018|time=3:00|network=[[Netflix]]|season=2|number=3}}</ref> Singleton was also influenced by his friend and fellow filmmaker [[Spike Lee]]. The two met in 1986, at a screening of Lee's film ''[[She's Gotta Have It]]'', two weeks before Singleton started attending the [[University of Southern California]] (USC).<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=6Q1GiRrHTCRBC2Ng&v=8rwaUbA8fs8&feature=youtu.be |title=John Singleton Interview Part 1 of 3 - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews |date=2017-07-03 |last=FoundationINTERVIEWS |access-date=2024-10-13 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

Singleton's films are coming of age tales mixed with an urban setting. The themes in his films ''Boyz N The Hood'', ''Poetic Justice'', and ''Baby Boy'' are black masculinity, trauma, violence in urban communities, economic struggles in the black community, and the impact of gang culture and crime on young black men.