Hype Williams- Director Essay
The 1950s Aueteur theory suggests that the director shows
his personal views and creative vision through their own film. The author’s
creative voice shines through all kinds of studio reference. To be considered an auteur, a film-maker must have a
body of work which can be analysed for ongoing themes that are repeated in
their work. An auteur
must have a different style, almost instantly recognisable and stands out from
other film director’s work. The
method of ‘Auteurism’ is the way to analyze films based on the theory. Theory has impacted film criticism since the
film critic Francois Truffaut in 1954.
Harold ‘Hype’ Williams is an American music video and film
director. He has mainly worked in the hip-hop, rap and r’n’b genre. He has
created a number of videos with artists such as The Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z,
Kanye West and Christina Aguilera.
Awards Williams has received for his video work includes the
Billboard Music Video Award for
Best Director of the Year (1996), the Jackson Limo Award for Best Rap Video of
the Year. Also the same year for Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah," the NAACP
Image Award (1997), the 8th annual MVPA Award for Black Music Achievement. MTV
Video Music Award for Best Group Video (1999) for TLC's "No Scrubs",
and the BET Award for Best Director (2006) for Kanye West's “Gold Digger’. In
2006, Williams was honored by MTV with its Video Vanguard Award, presented in
honor of his achievements as a filmmaker.
He is being nominated for Video Director of the Year at the BET Awards of 2011.
One of William’s music videos is ‘Gold Digger’ by Kanye
West. The whole video is set in a studio and uses very little mise-en-scene and
doesn’t have a narrative is just performance. By the video being a performance
it relates to Goodwin’s analysis of the music video demonstrating genre
characteristics as performance is conventional of hip-hop videos. The video
uses half the screen making it unique compared to other music videos of the
genre. The camera is still throughout with not many edits apart from straight
cuts, apart from at the beginning when the beat begins quick edits are used in
time with the beat and shows a medium shot of Kanye. The colour of the lighting
is a key element to the video and is lighter closer to them fades to dark and
is continually centred on Kanye and Jamie Foxx.
Women are portrayed to be sexy and beautiful reflecting 1950s pin up
girls as they pose imitating that they are on front covers of magazines showing
intertextuality of pin up girls. This relates to Laura Mulvey’s theory of women
being presented as objects for men by being shown as sexy.
Beyonce’s video of ‘Check up on it’ is set in a studio with
very little mise en scene apart from the use of chairs for the chorography and
the different backgrounds. The use of the colour pink is used throughout and
uses pink lighting showing it to be darker closer to her and fades to white.
The video uses half a screen and is bordered by pink silk showing to be blowing
making it look like waves. The camera is still throughout and uses quick cuts
and a range of close-ups, medium shots and long shots are used. The video has
been edited where the beat jumps the edits become fast keeping it in time with
the pace. The video is simple and uses performance including dancers. The
setting changes eight times including costumes and backgrounds. Beyonce is
portrayed to be sexy and feminine by her dance moves and costumes and the use
of close-ups to show her expression. By using Beyonce to be portrayed as a
sex-symbol it relates to Laura Mulvey’s theory of video being shown from the perspective
of the hetero-sexual male. Inter-textuality is used as the rapper wears a pink
panther t-shirt to relate to the video being pink relating to Goodwin’s 6 point
analysis of the music video including intertextual references.
Neyo’s video of ‘So Sick’ is set in the mountains which is
covered in snow reflecting a ski-resort location. Its also set in a lodge cabin
in the mountains. The screen is half a screen with a border of footage of the
mountains which moves from different shots throughout the video. To begin with fades are used from close-ups
of the phone to Neyo to his ‘love interest’. Long shots are used when they are having a
snow ball fight but mainly close-ups are used throughout Goodwins states that
close-ups are used in videos as a demand of the record label as Neyo is a big
artist fans will expect to see him in his video.. Natural lighting is used
throughout. The video is a narrative relating to the lyrics of the song in
relation to Goodwin’s music video analysis the video shows there is a
relationship between lyrics and visuals. The video is a performance throughout
which is a genre characteristic of hip-hop and r’n’b videos showing Goodwin’s
analysis of music videos demonstrating genre characteristics. Costumes used are dull colours of creams,
white and beige to match with the scenery. Quick cuts are used during the
chorus and each shot fades into the next shot.
The women in the video are shown to be sexy by wearing a tight leopard
print dress while getting intimate with Neyo. Laura Mulvey’s theory suggest
that an audience are forced to view the text from the perspective of a male
therefore the video includes a sexy woman .
All three videos have a very strong connection in terms of
style and similar patterns and techniques of editing appear. The use of half a
screen is used in all videos creating a distinctive creative style in relation
to the Auether theory Williams uses the half screen as a characteristic to his
work and is easily recognizable to anyone who knows his work well. Another
genre characteristic used in William’s videos is performance which relates to
Goodwins analysis .The use of lighting in ‘Gold Digger’ and ‘Check up on it’
are very similar and the Auether Theory states that film producers use similar
ideas for their films and videos. In both videos the lighting is pink and fades
from dark to light or light to dark this technique makes the audience focus on
the star of the video. This idea of the
lighting focusing on the artist links to Goodwin’s analysis of the demand of
the record label to show their star in the video clearly. William’s style of
the use of close-ups mainly being used in his videos creates another
characteristic in relation to the Autheur theory stating characteristics of a
director’s work that makes him or her an auteur. Williams uses women a lot in his videos and
presents them as sexy, flirty and in revealing outfits this characteristic of
women appearing in his video’s shows this theme is being repeated relating to
the Auether theory.
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