Films :: Global Griot Productions

A Day in the Hype of America

A DAY IN THE HYPE OF AMERICA, a feature documentary filmed entirely on December 31st 1999, offers a savvy critique of the hype and hysteria that made the arrival of the millennium such an anticlimax. Set against the cacophony of the unrelenting media circus, the stories of four Americans take us back into the heart of the millennial zeitgeist. A DAY IN THE HYPE OF AMERICA unveils a shrewd commentary on the conditions which have turned America into a culture of fear.

Meticulously weaving interviews and news footage with the stories of a new age survivalist, a fake street preacher, a funk musician and a Lakota Chief, A DAY IN THE HYPE OF AMERICA brings to light some of the extreme lengths Americans were willing to go to in order to make sense of the approaching midnight.

In the dusty expanse of Southern Arizona, Jacque Zaleski, the eccentric leader of a community of Wicca survivalists, is putting the finishing touches on her eco-friendly ranch in preparation for Y2K. On the rainy streets of New York City, the notorious performance artist Reverend Billy, dressed in his signature White tuxedo, is lambasting the corporate highjacking of the millennium, to the delight of left wing activists who follow his every step. “Children, one of the wonderful things about the millennium, is the promise that Times Square will be destroyed.” 1158 miles Southwest of New York, the funk musician Lawrence Harvey is lazily passing from barber shops to radio stations, promoting and preparing for his millennium performance with the Funk group – Iris May Tango. While on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, the millennium is that last thing on Albert White Hat Sr.’s minds. “To us one hundred years ago is just like yesterday.” Instead, the Lakota chief is focusing his energy on leading his community in a 40-year tradition – the New Years Eve Pow Wow.

A DAY IN THE HYPE OF AMERICA reveals the ongoing tension between the real experiences of the American populace and the regurgitated stories of mass media. Through the strength of these four emotionally charged stories, the films brings a glimmer of hope: that in the face of a monolithic consumer culture Americans can still find meaning in their own communities and their own stories.

Production

Producer Producer Brian Quist originally conceived the concept for A DAY IN THE HYYPE OF AMERICA at a garage sale in 1998. He had been considering producing a documentary about the approaching millennium for some time, but couldn’t choose a structure for the film. It all changed when he picked up a hardback photo book entitled ‘A Day in the Life of America,’ which contained hundreds of photographs captured across America on a single day in 1984. Within minutes Quist had hit upon the concept of his millennium film.

The following year, Quist recruited best friend and budding filmmaker, T.J. Martin, to the project and by the summer of 1999 the two 19-year-old filmmakers started preproduction for A DAY IN THE HYPE OF AMERICA in the small basement office of Global Griot Productions in Seattle, Washington.

With $20,000 of seed money and a narrowing window of time, the two producers set out to locate subjects, crews, equipment, advisors and investors. They hired the New York based production company Surround Inc. to oversee the hiring of crew members and equipment rentals, while they focused on finding the perfect subjects for the film. After months of extensive research, including multiple trips around the country the team had their locales, subjects and crews. On December 29th four crews, 25 people and thousands of dollars worth of equipment were shipped across America to capture the millennium in the framework of its final 24 hours. Before they knew it, the day for production had come and the cameras were rolling.

When the dust had cleared, Quist and Martin found themselves with four incredible stories, 110 hours of videotape, a new $20,000 debt, and badly in need of a vacation. Had they known then that they would spend two more years editing the film, struggling through concepts and funding challenges, they both probably would have dropped the project entirely. Even so, the two young filmmakers had no idea that the footage they shot on December 31st would eventually be put together as a humorous, yet disturbing, chronicle of America at the end of the 20th Century.

Photos

Press

Newsday (12-30-01)
Southampton Press (12-6-01)
"Directors Brian Quist and TJ Martin have caught a sly moment in time that reflects some of America’s most eccentric, endearing and just plain out bizarre traits in the face of the great unknown. A Day in the Hype of America is not only an astonishingly polished first feature documentary, it’s also a knowing look behind the curtain on one of the most over-anticipated days in recent history: New Year’s Eve, 1999. What makes it all the more remarkable is the ever-continuing relevancy the film holds nearly three years later: We are what we create. Quist and Martin are exciting new talents to watch and hold a fresh perspective so rare in documentary film."
- Kathleen McInnis, Seattle International Film Festival

Screenings

Rhode Island International Film Festival (Aug 2002)
Naked Eye Film Festival (Nov 2002)