HYPE WILLIAMS

1. HYPE WILLIAMS

2. Biography A profound director of our time born as Harold Williams also known as "Hype" Williams was born in Queens New York, initially grew up wanting to be a painter. Williams displayed his work by tagging local billboards, storefronts, and playgrounds using HYPE as his graffiti tag. “That's probably what stimulated my interests in colour”saysWilliams who began his film-making career when he left Adelphi University in Garden City, New York and joined Classic Concept Productions. In 1993 he launched his own company Big Dog Films. Not long after this he made his mark on the industry for the most inventive and gripping music videos of that time because of his artistic roots. Many videos he directed uses multi-coloured visuals creating a very unique style. Hype has shot over 200 music videos, working with many of the worlds biggest stars and popular artists.

3. Feature Film In 1998 he directed his first feature film Belly, an urban thriller. The film stars some of Hip-Hop's big names like DMX, NAS, T-Boz and Method Man. The movie uses Williams’ trademarks such as the fisheye lens, and flashing lights. One effect was the green eyes in the beginning of the movie. The film was mildly received by critics, generally praised for its highly stylised visual design and cinematography and criticised for what critics saw as a weak plot. However, it remains much more popular with hip hop audiences, and was released on DVD in 2004 in a "special edition" package. One scene which involves a house raid was heavily influenced by the 1983 film, Scarface. Many have criticised the movie about it's profanity and violence, but many agree that the perspective of the film is interesting and unusual.

4. Latest Videos • Grippin' - Sean Garrett feat. Ludacris • What's Love  - Shaggy feat. Akon • Superstar - Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos • Go On Girl - Ne-Yo - great black & white video with interesting effects • Homecoming - Kanye West feat. Chris Martin - great black & white video; shot on location in Chicago; interesting editing & superimposing effects • Stay Down - Mary J. Blige - similar feel to Hype's video for NeYo's "So Sick" helicopter shots of snowy mountains which Hype originated in Mary J. Blige's "Everything" video (but in a tropical environment) • Girls Around The World  - Lloyd feat. Lil' Wayne - sci-fi feel; the models all have glowing eyes adding a very futuristic and modernised look • Put On - Young Jeezy feat. Kanye West

5. Awards Hype William’s has received many awards for his work including: • Billboard Music Video Award for Best Director of the Year (1996) • Jackson Limo Award for Best Rap Video of the Year (1996) for Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah" • The NAACP Image Award (1997) • The 8th Annual MVPA Award for Black Music Achievement (1997) • MTV Video Music Award in the Best Rap Video (1998) category for Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" • MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video (1999) for TLC's "No Scrubs" • 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 and received a standing ovation, as Kanye West would put it, as a "film maker."

6. Commercials William’s made his fashion debut on the runways of London with fashion designer Julian McDonald’s “Modern Skins”. Hype has also received acclaim for his commercial work by bringing a sense of Hip-Hop attitude to Nike, MasterCard, Revlon, Toyota, Reebok, The Gap and Dolce & Gabbana. Williams ‘signature style’, although it is not exhibited in all videos, involves shots placed in regular widescreen ratio, while another set of shots is placed in the spaces which would normally be left blank in widescreen ratio videos. Above are examples from William’s commercial for D&G watches which implements the same idea.

7. Music Videos Videos that use this style include "Diamonds on my Neck" by Smitty, "I Ain't Heard of That" by Slim Thug, "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, "In My Hood" by Young Jeezy, "Check On It" by Beyoncé and many others.

8. William’s Photography

9. Is technology changing filmmakers?We all know that technology is changing filmmaking and marketing, but is it changing the actual filmmakers? “People have more access to more content than they ever have in the history of the world and to me that's the real deal. Anything that you ever wanted to look for is available to us in a matter of seconds, and as a result of that it has shifted the way the whole world works and I hope it’s for the better but it’s definitely different. For example there used to be a time when a certain record or a certain sound was identified with a certain place because it was a separation between one city and another, now there can be music that happens in New York City that instantly is happening in Nigeria.”

10. Being a Director “As a director I am the leader and the orchestrater, but none of us are separate. We're all the same, from my production assistants, to my gaffer, to my DP, to my camera assistants, we're all one family. Then no one feels as though they are working just on the job and there is no hierarchy. We all do the same thing, like I'm quick to move a light or an apple box. Just like he's quick to load the camera and if I'm working with an artist they see that too and they become a part of our family for the time we are working together.”