Music Video Directors

Music Directors

Hype Williams

Hype Williams began directing music videos in 1991 with his debut being BWP - "We Want Money" he then followed with Main Source - "Just Hanging Out" finishing his 1991 directing. From that year on he started directing more and more music videos. In 1995 he directed a huge 33 music videos, all successful. Hype Williams was influenced by Basquait and Keith Haring, his words were, "I wanted to be the Basquait and Keith Haring of the streets"

A signature style used by Williams throuought the vast majority of his videos was the Fisheye lens which distorted the camera view around the central focus. For example, this was used in the music video Gimme Some More. This was used to give the effect of making the audience feel as though it was from their point of view. Another signature style he used in the majority of his music video's was having shots in a widescreen ratio, while a second shot is cut in either to the side or below. For example, the music video, "Diamonds on My Neck" uses this split screen effect through the whole video. This creates an illusion effect and makes you try to focus on two parts of the screen, making you focus on it more. It also allows the video to be more dynamic and multi-dimensional and atmospheric instead of having single camera angles. One of his more recent signature techniques is combining a centre camera focus on the artists chest and upward with a solid colour background and fading off to a different colour when it comes to the edges and corners. As displayed in the music video Gold Digger. This is to give the effect of illumination of the background and foreground subject.

Hype Williams generally stayed with the music genre of Hip-Hop throughout all his music video directions. The conventions of hip-hop is mainly girls and expensive jewelry, this is reflected in a large majority of his music videos so Williams follows the hip-hop vibe. An example of a music video of which he follows the hip-hop conventions is Kanye West - Diamonds From Sierra Leone, in this there are lots of references to expensive things like cars and designer clothing.

He mostly works with artists that base their music on rap or RnB. Meaning he is seen as a "specialist" in those genres of music. A more recent artist that he works with regularly is Busta Rhymes. He specialises in the rap genre, so Williams can work with his music video and use the generic conventions that appear in that genre.

Music videos that Hype Williams directs can be easily distinguished due to their signature filming techniques. For example, the over use of fisheye lens or where the shot is at a widescreen ratio, where the screen has 3 sections either on the side of each other or the top. The final way that his videos are different from others is the use of contrasted background colours, merging two colours, making the focal point more noticeable.