The Arctic...
Beautiful. Desolate. Fragile. There's something magical about even
the name itself. I heard recently that often times the most difficult
path is also the right one. Well, this project was definitely one of
the most painstaking and difficult creative challenge we have ever
undertaken as a band. It has also been one of the most inspiring – a
rare opportunity to reach into our imagination and push the limits of
whats possibile. It will always be an important part of our story and a
defining element of our lives.
It’s still hard to believe that we were actually there, two hundred
miles north of the Arctic circle, carrying our guitars, drums, cameras
and giddy selves across that endless and alien frozen tundra, watching
as the ice cracked its thunderous warnings under our feet and shot what
is our love letter to this magnificent and, sadly, soon to be lost
treasure.
It almost didn't happen. In fact, we were pretty much convinced it
wouldn't happen. We even considered abandoning the idea after being
told many times by very smart, educated, well-grounded and rational
people that we were indeed out of our collective fucking minds for even
thinking we could shoot a 'music video' in the Arctic circle.
"Wouldn't a green screen do the trick? Who will know the difference???"
Yes, this was actually suggested as an option. And no it wasn't the
way we wanted to go. For us, it was so much more about the journey,
about actually being there, and we weren't interested in manipulating or
manufacturing that experience. By the way, to clarify, there is
absolutely no greenscreen in the project at all. Everything we shot was
100% real and filmed in the Arctic. Real and cold. But in some ways
their concerns were valid: constant technical issues, the schematics of
travel and production, cost, the 192 different kinds of insurance we
needed and couldn't get, the very real dangers involved, and finding a
group of people insane enough to join us. All of these became hurdles
that we somehow managed to jump, either out of bravery or ignorance but
fortunately, somehow, we finally landed in Greenland.
After the planes, trains, boats, battles and yes, even an airline
strike thrown in for good measure, we set foot in Illulisat - a
gorgeous town known for its icebergs – pulled our gear off the plane and
immediately launched into a mad scramble and began shooting in a
spirited race with the weather and a precarious dance with our delicate
surroundings.
We were too awe struck and having too much fun to notice, but this
was probably the most dangerous and exhilarating thing we've ever done
in our entire lives. From tempting fate atop the gargantuan icebergs
that were literally breaking apart under our feet (the most amazing
sound I've ever heard), to standing on the edge of the very real and
the very, very slippery 200-foot ice cliffs, to the threat of spending
the night on that gorgeous but quite cold and tricky glacier for the
night, it was a full on adventure in the best sense of the word. And
honestly, we can't wait to go back.
As beautiful as it was and excited as we were, I have to admit it
was virtually impossible to shoot anything at all in that extremely
challenging environment. We had the phenomenally good luck of a few
hours a day of decent sunlight but mostly it was a fierce fight with
the fog, clouds, wind, rain, equipment, schedule, dogs, seals and those
pesky and unpredictable animals called human beings. It all added up
to us being incredibly lucky to have even gotten a few decent shots a
day… Oh yeah, and the fact that literally days before we left we didn't
even think we would make it there at all definitely helped add to the
chaos. Fun! Who needs preproduction anyway...
This project has been an enormous undertaking involving new
technology and methods of working that extended the "normal"
procedures. Overall preproduction, shooting, and post have taken over 6
months. Yes, SIX MONTHS! We admit this is slightly insane considering
its a 5 minute piece....but c'est la vie, time flies when you’re having
fun!
This is definitely a departure from the two previous videos and we
are excited about that. It’s not a piece based on a fantasy oriented
narrative or surrealistic adventure like The Kill or From Yesterday.
As proud as we are of both of those projects we felt it was time to walk
down a different path. A Beautiful Lie is a simple story that is, for
the most part, a traditional, performance-based video that happens to
be shot in an exotic and ridiculously beautiful but endangered
wilderness. For us, this was definitely a case of the journey being
the destination and the process of plotting, planning, dreaming and
executing will always be as important – if not more - than the end
result.
For the record, let me state loud and clearly: We do not profess to
be experts on the environmental conditions of the planet. We do not
pretend to live our lives in perfect harmony with the Earth making sure
that every time we exhale we purchase green tags
to offset the carbon emissions that come from all the hot air we
admittedly toss around. And yes, we are aware of the implications and
banal social dangers that could come with making an environmental
statement in a music video. But we were compelled and inspired to move
forward regardless and it ultimately came down to us asking
ourselves...
"Is it better to do this than to not?"
The answer was a resounding "yes" and we jumped in. Because this is
such a hot topic and a cause celebre we thought long and hard about
what, why, and whether we were actually going to go through with this
at all. Ultimately, we decided that being part of the solution - or
even just attempting to be a part of solution - is better than sitting
around and complaining about it. If, after all of this, in the smallest
way possible, we are part of that solution rather than the problem
then it will have been worth it all.
We all know by now that our planet is in deep trouble. We have
abused it horribly and we are paying the price. It’s time to try to do
what we can, both as individuals and collectively, to find better and
kinder ways to live. It’s not our right; it’s our responsibility. We
are all guilty. We can all change.
With this video, abeautifullie.org and the making-of, we hope that
we can share with you all in some small way the experience that
inspired us so much and that you can join us in this great adventure.
We know you were there in spirit and, as always, supporting our
collective dreams together.
So, now that you are here on abeautifullie.org we encourage you to
dig around, explore, get involved and share your journey with us.
Together, we can do something great and make a difference.
-jared
P.S. - Being the first American video ever shot in its entirety in
the Peoples Republic of China was an incredible honor, being the first
(but hopefully not the last) shot in the Arctic is a dream. We're just
wondering what we could possibly do next...hmmm.....well I do have this
one idea......
P.P.S - Emissions from the energy consumed in connection with
producing the A Beautiful Lie video were offset using Solar Energy
Certificates purchased from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The certificates support enough solar energy to offset approximately
250,000 Kilowatt hours, or 350,000 pounds of CO2 emissions – the
approximate emissions reduction equivalent of planting 46 acres of trees
or not driving 36 cars for one year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kvd-uquuhI
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