· Name: Harold ‘Hype’ Williams· Age: 42 (Born 1970)
· Place of Birth: Queens, New York
Best Known Works:
- 2 Pac – California love
- Notorious B.I.G – One more chance; Warning
- Jay Z – Big Pimpin’
- TLC – No Scrubs
- Aaliyah – Rock the Boat
- Coldplay – Viva la Vida
- Nicki Minaj – stupid hoe, right by my side.
My
Favourite Video:
- Missy Elliot – Rain (supa dupa fly)
It
seems very typical within all Hype Williams music videos to focus on colour or
a specific element that will make that video pop and stand out whether that is
flashing lights, shadow or colour. It is apparent that he aims to make sure
that all of the colours featured within a music video have a strong affect on
the audience, he does this by creating excitement and a energy that is
appropriate for the artist and this helps the artist to stand out and shine
through the song making each music video very individual and suited to the
artist and the song.
One of my favourite music videos produced by
him is Missy Elliot “The Rain”. This is because this video captures the typical
conventions of a Hype Williams video as the use of bright lighting has been
used to highlight the artist’s personality, even though it has no relation to
the song itself yet he has still managed to direct the video so it is suited to
the song. Within this particular music video Hype Williams is able to make a
random video, to song that seems random on the surface, however is still able
to make it appropriate to missy Elliot’s style so that audiences are easily
able to recognise the music video as a Missy Elliot song/video. Within this video as well as bright lights being a key feature, the use of exaggerated high and low angles warp the artist making everything appear to bigger than what it actually is making her seem to be more superior.
I’m inspired by the way hype Williams creates his music videos because they are all about the artist and the message the artist is trying to express, as well as expressing these messages in a quirky and personal way for the artist. Hype Williams is able to capture the vision from the artist, the song and give the audience what they want and achieve and create pieces of art that are beyond expectation. Hype Williams’ execution of his videos shows that a music video is more than an illustration to a song but a form of entertainment and a source of artist expression.
