Does life imitate art? Or does art imitate life?
Here’s an indie film that is (hopefully) coming called “HYPEBEASTS“. Written and Directed by Jessica dela Merced. Produced by Gigi Dement & Marissa Aroy. It traces the events that happen on a sneaker camp out. Something many of these readers know a thing or two about. They shot some of the film at Reed Space! (Just to keep it 100!)
The premise of the film seems very niche when you hear about it, but after watching this trailer, it actually looks like it will be really interesting and might appeal to a wider audience. Issues of consumerism, fanaticism and race are abound.
Click the link above to support the film!!!
HYPEBEASTS TEASER TRAILER from Jessica dela Merced on Vimeo.
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son, this is hot trash. u should not let them shoot in reed space. THEY ARE CAMPING OUT FOR CREATIVE RECREATIONS B. Those are shoes to wear to a hurricane event. Not like a fundraiser, but to actually wear into a hurricane and die type shits. if this movie gets funded, i hope they replace all the asians with dominican sneaker heads so we have no affiliation.
[...] Read more about it Here! [...]
Dear Eddie, I’m sorry you feel this way, but NIKE rejected having their name used in the film, as the film deals with the actual riots and deaths that have occurred over NIKE sneakers. Creative Recreation was the only brand that supported our film and was generous enough to donate hundreds of pairs of their shoes you dislike so much to our film. All of these sneakers will be donated to Title 1 schools and as well as those affected by hurricane Sandy, so your words are poorly chosen.
I am surprised and saddened that you do not support an Asian-American story as so many of your customers are just that. Please comment with tact next time.
Thanks,
Jess dela Merced
Director of Hypebeasts
Eddie,
I’m the film’s producer and I also need to follow up on your comment regarding HYPEBEASTS and our use of Creative Recreation sneakers. Its clear by your comments that you have no idea what it takes to make a movie. I’m not sure whether you either fail to understand or simply don’t know that there are legal issues one needs to navigate in order to get brand clearance or product placement in a film.
Choices made in a film are scarcely ever arbitrary and never come without having to make compromises and sacrifices. We approached Nike and they considered participating in HYPEBEASTS. In the end, it wasn’t the right fit for either of us. We pursued other large sneaker brands and either the controversy over the violence that occurs in sneaker camp out lines didn’t fit in with the company’s image of themselves or they wanted to be the sole brand represented in the movie.
Like the people at Reed Space, Creative Recreation was enthusiastic from the beginning and supportive of our message and our philanthropic plans for the shoes used in the film. For us it was a no-brainer, we wanted partners whose visions aligned with our own. The sneaker company could have ultimately been a fictitious one, because the sneaker line is only the context and not the entirety of the film.
I can only hope your careless disregard of artistic license, and the utter lack of knowledge of the filmmaking process demonstrated by your post, won’t be a deterrent to the Reed Space and sneaker fans who might want to support a movie that dares to take on the issues of racism in America anew. If you care to open your mind up and see beyond the brand of sneakers in the window, you will see that HYPEBEASTS is a film that explores the idea of racism within the minorities. It puts racism against Asian-Americans front and center without being didactic or allegorical or even offensive to other ethnicities. Having grown up in American trying to be just American enough not to be ostracized, while also trying to cling to the heritage that defined me as me, I welcome and support this film and others like it wholeheartedly.
Lastly, I must point out that your final comment “i hope they replace all the asians with dominican sneaker heads so we have no affiliation” speaks volumes that I hope will not be overlooked by others. Firstly, we can’t merely replace all the Asians in the film with Latinos. 1) The film has been shot and 2) the director and producers are Asians. What can be inferred by your callous comment is that you’d rather have what you deem the “right” sneaker brand represented rather than support a portrayal of Asian-American oppression.
Secondly, the fact that you start out insulting Creative Recreation sneakers as something to be worn into a hurricane and die wearing (I don’t think I need to even comment on this in light of the recent storm that devastated many communities along the east coast) and then associate this “lesser” sneaker brand as something that would be fine to associate with Dominicans, is revolting. It just goes to show you that racism within the minorities is something we artists should be making movies about.
I guess the take away here is that the larger message of HYPEBEASTS is relevant and needs to be addressed. The sneakerheads in our film become so distracted by the shoes that the issues they should be resolving can no longer be done rationally.
Sincerely,
Gigi Dement
Producer
HYPEBEASTS
film looks dope. ima see it !