Auteur Theory - Colin Tilley

Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988 in Berkeley, California) is an award winning music video director for Riveting Entertainment who has written and directed music videos for notable RnB and hip hop artists including as Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Diddy and Justin Bieber among others. Tilley’s most frequent collaborator is Chris Brown, over the last two years the two have worked closely on numerous videos, he directed all the videos bar one for Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E album.

The following examples of Colin Tilley’s visual style feature many of the elements that have become typical for big budget RnB videos. Unlike music videos for other genres, particularly rock which seek authenticity, RnB and hip hop videos usually portray an enhanced, glamorized version of life. Tilley’s cinematic style comes to the fore in many of his videos, particularly Chris Brown’s Deuces (2010) and Jason Derulo’s It Girl (2011). The opening sequences of both videos are reminiscent of film trailers, the director, artist name and song title take the place of credits and there are rapid montages of the action.  The words ‘Collin Tilley Presents’ appear at the beginning of all his videos, indicating his own authorial importance and the cinematic nature of the whole production.

These rapid montages in the opening sequence have become Tilley’s trademark and are used to establish a sense of movement and the passage of time. Each shot within the montage features a beautiful female. Lara Malvey’s ‘Male Gaze Theory’ would identify that in terms of gender representation; these women are portrayed as sexual objects and are solely there for the gratification and titillation of men. This is evident in the camerawork, the camera is often positioned at a low angle so it is looking up at the women and focusing on their breasts and legs.

This is a genre convention that the majority of hip hop and RnB videos conform to or observe. However, Tilley takes a more artistic approach to the conventional nudity. He often uses black and white, another trademark of his, to create a more contemporary, subtle feel in comparison to typical hip hop videos which tend to feature overt sexuality.

Tilley has acknowledged the influence of his hometown, California, to the look of his work. His video for JLS’ She Makes Me Wanna best represents Californian ideals. The video is set on a golden beach, people are sunbathing, everyone’s partying and there are women in swimwear.

His visuals are famed for his use of lighting. Tilley frequently alternates from low key lighting to high key lighting to create striking effects. He frequently uses understated, dark locations such as basements as in Wiz Khalifa’s No Sleep (2011) and Lil Wayne’s John (2010) and then places light boxes in the background of the frame in order to illuminate the star and establish a powerful image. The use of these special effects gives the director total control over the video.

Chris Brown’s ‘Deuces’ from his Fan of a Fan mix tape was released in 2010 on Jive Records. The RnB ballad also features guest vocals from Tyga and Kevin McCall. There is a clear conceptual idea in the video which relates to the lyrics of the song. The lyrics discuss the end of a relationship after failed attempts to make it work, Chris Brown repeatedly sings ‘She makes me wanna say bye bye to her’

There is a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The visuals feature a woman walking away, towards the camera, which is a visual representation of the person in the song walking away from the relationship.

Chris Brown is the main focus of the video, there are frequent close up shots of him. This conforms to Andrew Goodwin’s Six Point Analysis (Dancing In The Distraction Factory, 1986, Routledge) which states that the demands of the record label will result in the needs for lots of close ups of the artist. Although Chris Brown is already an established and respected artist, his record label may have demanded more close ups in order to reinforce his public image, Fan of a Fan was his first release of 2010, after his short break from music.

In terms of mise-en-scene, Deuces is set in a very urban and contemporary location. The video, which has been shot entirely in black and white, is set against the heavily graffiti’d backdrop of the Los Angeles River. The location is dark and gloomy, which is a characteristic feature of Tilley visuals, and the grey background starkly contrasts with Chris Brown’s all black clothing. This makes him stand out and identifies him as the focus of the video.  There are several sequences where Chris Brown is performing a contemporary dance routine; this is typical of the music genre, slick choreographies feature in many hip hop and RnB videos. In these scenes, Chris Brown is dancing in a tunnel and appears to be blacked out; the camera focuses on his shadow dancing. His expressive performance represents all the emotion portrayed in the lyrics.

The video is cut to the beat; the fast paced editing with frequent cuts matches the speed of the music. In sequences where Brown is dancing, cuts are even more frequent in order to display his energy.

In terms of gender representation, the men are represented as strong, independent and powerful. Low angle shots of them standing around a car portray them as intimidating and powerful.  In several shots, the male artists flip their fingers up in the air, which represents the title of the song, ‘Deuces’ and also has a sub conscious message, they are essentially flipping their fingers up to the woman they are singing about, who they have just broken up with. These visuals further amplify the song lyrics and the overall message of the song.