Music News

30 Seconds to Mars short film “A Beautiful Lie” takes band to the Arctic

By M&C News Mar 10, 2008, 17:06 GMT

"A Beautiful Lie," the title track and current single from 30 Seconds to Mars' platinum album, marks the first music video ever shot 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland.

It is the third in a series of short films featuring songs from the band's 2005 album. (The previous two were "The Kill" and "From Yesterday," which was the first American music video shot in the People's Republic of China); both were directed by Bartholomew Cubbins. "A Beaut if ul Lie" directed by Angakok Panipaq premieres January 30th in an array of countries including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Sweden and Denmark through a never before seen global Myspace exclusive event. This will be followed by a multi-channel and online media blitz."Shooting in Greenland was a dream come true and one of the most exciting adventures we've ever had as a band," says 30 Seconds to Mars lead vocalist Jared Leto. "Although incredibly challenging and at times it seemed just out of our reach, once we finally arrived the beauty and magn if icence of the terrain, the wonderful culture of the people, and the amazing journey itself were all inspiring beyond belief. Almost everyone has heard of global warming by now but for the people of Greenland it is a real and tangible problem of today, not an issue of tomorrow. This journey changed our lives. We hope that with this film and new website we can share, in some small way, this incredible experience with our family of friends and fans around the world."Determined to offset the impact that filming would have on the environment, the director, Angakok Panipaq and the band worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to develop strategies that would minimize fuel consumption on the shoot and purchased North American Blend Green Tags (a renewable energy cert if icate product) from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Purchasing Green Tags supports new renewable electricity generation, which offset the environmental effects of burning coal, gas and other fossil fuels across North America .30 Seconds to Mars and the leading social media site Buzznet.com (www.buzznet.com) are bringing music, community and charity together by creating a "call to action" group. Beginning Wednesday, January 30, fans can go to http://abeautifullie.buzznet.com and upload personal videos to let the band and the world know what they're doing to help the environment. In addition, fans will be able to make donations through Buzznet to support the NRDC, the nation's most effective environmental action organization, and Buzznet will be matching donations made through the site. Additionally 30 Seconds to Mars has also launched a second website - www.abeautifullie.org. The site will include information about current environmental issues, ways for kids to participate in environmental activities, links, tips for conservation and more.“Greenland now is beginning to contribute sign if icantly to sea level rise," says Jay Zwally, a glaciologist with NASA. "There's been a sign if icant change in a relatively short period of time." It is now losing between 52 and 63 cubic miles of ice mass each year; projections of future climate change indicate continued warming over Greenland if greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked.2007 was a banner year for 30 Seconds to Mars. "The Kill" earned the distinction of being the longest-running hit in the history of Billboard's Modern Rock chart, peaking at #3 and logging 52 weeks on the chart while follow-up single "From Yesterday" hit #1. The band co-headlined the "Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour" in the States in the spring and kept on touring, hitting Australia , Japan , Europe, the UK and Latin America and collecting awards along the way (including two MTV Australia Video Music Awards and an MTV Europe Video Music Award). In January 2008, 30 Seconds to Mars kicked off a sold-out tour of the UK and Europe.