The Source (December 1998) p.97-100
TOO HYPE
"with Belly, Hype Williams leaps the canyon between videos and feature
films"
interview by Hawa Macalou
Hype Williams has developed a reputation for being particularly
difficult to work with. But this is to be expected. Considering the
ruthless ambition it takes to work one's way up to a dog-eat-dog
industry like the entertainment business, it is almost impossible not
to ruffle a few feathers along the way. At 29 years old, the former
graffiti artist is the latest of several rap video linesmen, from
Lionel Martin to F. Gary Gray to Brett Ratner, who have made the
gigantic leap from music videos to feature films. However, the current
trend has critics wondering if video directors, whose experience is
often limited to glossy stylization and hyper-simplicity, are really
the most qualified people to tell full length cinematic stories?
That's the type of pressure this Queens native is under to prove
himself a bonafied filmmaker. Yet today, on the Harlem set of his
feature debut Belly, Williams is strangely calm about the whole thing.
Perhaps it's because the young director has already achieved a level of
commercial success that suggests he has what it takes to stay on top.
Over the last seven years, Williams, through his independent production
company Big Dog Films, has directed over 200 clips for multi-platinum
artists such as Will Smith, Missy Elliot, Puff Daddy, Busta Rhymes,
Mariah Carey and Brandy. Or maybe it's because on this wintry
afternoon, he's shooting a climatic scene in which the Reverend Ben
Chavis, playing the role of a radical minister, gives an inspirational
speech to DMX's character Tommy, who is at a spiritual crossroads in
his thug life.
Whatever the reason, Williams remains absolutely unfazed by the
skepticism surrounding his forthcoming urban gangsta drama, which in
addition to being drafted by Williams, stars a slew of popular rap and
R&B artists. "I knew I was going to get a lot of opposition from all
kinds of people because it's [film's] a different medium than what I'm
used to," the award-winning director admits between takes. "But I'm an
artist. I've already made a pretty serious statement with music videos.
Now I'm more interested in learning how to make serious statements with
film."
Why do you think you have been so successful in music videos?
Probably because I came at a time when music videos were very mundane
in my genre. Urban clips were not competing with the larger-budgeted,
flashier rock and roll videos and the more creative, more stimulating
alternative videos. Rap and R&B were almost the joke of the industry. I
just wanted to show that our videos could be beautiful, they could be
as dramatic and energetic and thoughtful and intellectual as
alternative and rock music videos. So I set a goal for myself to take
rap and R&B music videos and make them not just equal, but superior to
those genres.
How receptive was the film industry to your material when you sent it
out?
Well, they were receptive to me; they were definitely not receptive to
my material. I went to four different studios before I was able to get
it [Belly] made. Each of the studios had their own agendas: "Yeah Hype,
do one of our projects and then we'll do yours second or third." To get
mine off the ground was damn near impossible, especially because of the
nature of the story. Right now comedies are in; action movies are where
it's at. This type of film is very harsh, street, dramatic. No one's
done a film like it in a long time and it's not easily digestible.
How difficult was it for you to change from the format of videos to
film?
I realize now the value of the screenplay in relationship to what goes
on the screen. It's vital that you're very clear story-wise on paper,
and then have the ability to take that clarity and paint your picture
with it. That's been like the one hardship I've found in moving from
music videos to film. Most of the videos that I have nothing to do with
what's written. They have to do with a lot of emotions, what I'm
feeling and what the song is. With video, the music represents a good
portion of what you're watching. With film, the story is what the story
is and there's no musical element prior or during that you can use to
paint the picture.
What sort of personal experiences inspired you to write the film Belly?
I wrote this picture a long time ago. The things that were happening to
my friends in my life when I was younger and the things that were
happening around me when I was a teenager prompted me to say one day,
"I would like to do a film about the type of things that, negative or
positive, people go through." It's a story about these young people who
very much have the same ideas and principles that a lot of young people
have in urban America. It's not the type of film that's gonna say right
from wrong or anything like that; it's more like painting a picture, or
hanging a mirror to show everybody in this country, younger and older,
an image of themselves.
Why'd you opt to work with a cast who--besides Taral Hicks--had little
to no acting experience, for the first film? Did that make your job as
director more difficult?
It was a very tedious, painful process to do a film with no known
actors, all young Black kids. It was like breaking your teeth every
day. But people like DMX, Nas, Meth, they lyrics in their songs are
very, very profound. They're sometimes about real serious life issues.
This is my idea of a film version of that. I'm taking the same types of
truths and elements of information and just putting it in a visual
package. I know that making a first time feature film for 8 or 9
million bucks with no known actors was a pretty big risk on my part.
And everybody's kinda looking at me like "you're responsible if this
shit flops." I internalized all of that. But I didn't really pressure
any of my talent with hopes that they would deliver. DMX, Nas, T-Boz,
everybody, they really gave it their all and bent over backwards to
develop themselves as actors, not just as artists. And I think that
alone really was one of the best parts of making the movie, seeing
these people go from being high profile rappers and musicians to
developing themselves as real artists of a real craft outside their
own, as actors.
In his speech the Reverend says that the youth are an "uncaring,
unfeeling generation." What message are you trying to get across in
this pivotal scene?
Everybody wants money; everybody wants power; everybody wants respect.
But they don't focus the same type of energy on other aspects of their
life like developing the mind, developing the soul, developing a sense
of humanity. We focus on a different kind of growth. It might be growth
economically; it might be growth status-wise; it might be growth in the
business world, but it's not, it's just not about growth as humans.
This speech is kind of a social statement of why we're in the situation
we're in, why so many young people are kind of like on a road to
nowhere.
Do you have any anxiety over how the movie will perform?
I have anxiety over how many theaters the film will be placed in. But
if it's out there, I'm convinced that people will go see it. It's just
a matter of getting it out there to the masses, not just to the
integrated theaters but to theaters where everyone who's interested
could actually walk in and feel comfortable sitting down and watching
it, Black or white or Hispanic. I've taken a lot of steps to insure
that this would be something for the people and not for the studios,
not the loot or for me. As a person who goes to watch movies, I've
designed everything particularly for the people who would watch these
things, with the hopes that they'll come. I don't really think that I'm
like really down or anything like that. On the contrary, I think I'm
one of the first people to deliver a story of this nature to the world,
not just to a couple of hundred theaters in a segregated are of the
United States. That's a big deal.
Considering both the early criticisms you've received as a music video
director now making feature films, and then all the rejection you
encountered before getting your film made, what's your advice to the
young, up-and-coming urban filmmaker looking to break into the film
industry?
My advice would be to not even look toward the studios. I don't think
Hollywood is a good place to look. This being my first time out, I'm
fortunate enough to have had a real budget, real studio support, and a
real place in the market. There's a certain amount of real theaters
where this movie is going to come out, and that's great; but I
definitely would not say that a lot of people would get the opportunity
to do the same, regardless of if they studies film at NYU or any other
school. Or regardless of if they have a lot of talent or a good movies
or anything. It's just not designed for our success. In fact it's
almost impossible.
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