Directors, Style and Genre

Music videos are used as promotional tools to help market popular singles. Directors of Music Videos often have their own distinctive styles or genres of music that they tend to stick to. This makes them recognisable in the music industry.

Notable Music Video Directors include:

Hype Williams:
Harold "Hype" Williams is an American music video and film director. This is a link to his official website with his biography and long Videography. http://www.hypewilliams.com/bio.html

Williams has worked with many well-known artists and is notable for creating a number of groundbreaking and successful music videos for hip hop and R&B artists. This includes TLC, Aaliyah, Kelis, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Nas, LL Cool J, Beyonce, Ne-Yo, The Notorious B.I.G, R. Kelly, Ashanti, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and many more.

An example of a music videos he has directed is Homecoming by Kanye West Ft. Chris Martin


Here’s a link to many of the Music Videos that he has directed - http://www.hypewilliams.com/videos.html

Williams often uses a distinctive style (although it is not exhibited in all videos) which involves shots placed in regular widescreen ratio, while another set of shots are placed in the spaces which would normally be left blank in widescreen ratio 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.

Here's Ne-Yo – So Sick:



Joseph Kahn:
He is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director. He has worked with many well-known artists including Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Ciara, Backstreet Boys, U2, The Chemical Brothers, Muse, Blink 182, Eminem, TLC, Katy Perry, George Michael, KoRn, Janet Jackson, Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Chris Brown, The Pussycat Dolls, Lady GaGa, and many more.

He directed Eminem’s Without Me in 2002, as well as Eminem and D12’s Purple Hills. The style used in these videos was wanted for Eminem’s We Made You in 2009 and he was therefore chosen to direct it due to his unique and comedic style used in Eminem’s earlier videos.

Eminem - We Made You:


He does however use styles that reflect the music, as well as working with a wide range of artists, from Britney Spears to Eminem to Muse.


Anthony Mandler:
Anthony Mandler is an American music video director. He started as a highly regarded commercial and celebrity photographer, but then moved into video directing. He is now in strong demand as a director in the music industry, receiving high critical praise for his unique style of story telling demonstrating his extensive and highly talented famous photography background.

Anthony has written and directed, among others, the videos: Nelly Furtado, Man-eater; The Killers, When you were Young; Ne-Yo, Sexy Love; Eminem, When I'm Gone; 50Cent, Hustlers Ambition; Rihanna’s Unfaithful, Disturbia, We Ride, Rehab, Take a Bow as well as Live Your Life with T.I; Enrique Iglesias, Somebody's Me; Fergie, Big Girl's Don't Cry; Omarion, Ice Box; John Legend, Everybody Knows; One Republic, Stop and Stare; Daniel Merriweather, Red, and many more.

An example of a music video he has directed is Beyonce’s Irreplaceable.



Jake Nava:
Jake Nava is a music video and commercial director. He grew up in Hackney, London, England and later moved to the United States.

The genre of music he works with is generally pop. He has directed Britney Spears “If U Seek Amy” and “My Prerogative,” Leona Lewis “Run,” Beyonce “ Single Ladies” and “If I Were A Boy,” Beyonce/Shakira “Beautiful Liar,” Beyonce feat Jay Z “Crazy in Love,” Rolling Stones “Streets of Love,” Kylie Minogue “Red Blooded Woman,” Pink “Nobody Knows,” Kelis “Milkshake,” Usher “Burn,” Natalie Imbruglia “Shiver,” Robbie Williams “Lovelight,” George Michael “An Easier Affair,” Tina Turner “Whatever You Need,” Mariah Carey “Shake It Off,” and others.

One video he directed is James Blunt - Carry You Home