A2 Coursework: The Auteur Theory Case Study: Hype Williams

Hype Williams

Hype Williams and the Auteur Theory 

Hype Williams is a good example of the the Auteur theory as he has incorporated his style and direction into the majority of his music video,that make them a Hype Williams music video. He has incorporated many features that has allowed us to recognise his work.

Hype Williams  is a well known and popular  film director, music video director and screenwriter. Hype Williams made himself known by tagging local billboards with his grafitti tag 'HYPE'. Hype Williams has worked with the likes of: 2Pac, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj and many more. He has created his own style within each of his videos that have made them so popular in the music industry today.

If Hype Williams can be Considered an Auteur, What is his Signature Style? 

Williams has developed his signature style over the years that he uses when creating a music video. For example he uses the flash cuts between shots in most of his videos to give them a fast pace motion that goes with the genre of  music in the music video. Williams is well know for creating music videos for the Hip Hop and R&B genre, therefore he uses this  effect to crate a fast moving video that will keep up with this fast moving style of music.


Credit
 Williams often credit's himself in his videos (normally at the beginning)  so that the audience know that it is his creation. It is also a good way to establish and recognise his works and style.

Use of Banners

Williams also uses widescreen layout that are covered with banners at the top and bottom this is used to frame the video and adds attention to the artist as they become more centric. He uses this in the majority of his videos such as "Check On It" and "Video Phone".

Banners on top and bottom of video.

Bold Colours                                      

Hype Williams uses very similar styles of visual effects in his music videos. For example he constant uses bold and bright colours in his videos that stand out and catch the eye. His use of bright and bold backdrops and costume is something that you can constantly see throughout his videos. 

Bright colours are a common feature.

Beyonce- Check On It

Check On It is a music video that is created by Hype Williams. It follows many of his signature styles  that allow us to recognise it as an Hype Williams video. For example in the videos the females and artist herself are shown in provocative outfits as well as dancing in a provocative way. This is a common use in Williams videos as most of the females in his music videos wear little clothing, he uses this as a visual tool to catch the attention of the viewers. He also uses flash cut that matches the fast pace of the music.

Kanye West - All of the Lights

All of the Lights by Kanye West also follows Williams signature style when it comes to his music videos for example he video incorporates his common used of flashcuts, bright colours, provocative wear and banners across the top and bottom. This video is edited so that the video itself follows the fast pace of the song and it also uses a constant use of bright block colours to capture the audiences attention