Thirty Seconds to Mars Launch 4th of July Video Project
Thirty Seconds to Mars will celebrate the 4th of July with a video project that relies on fans’ footage to create “a filmed portrait of the country.”
The “A Day in the Life of America” project will “capture 24 hours in the life of our country on Independence Day,” frontman Jared Leto said in a trailer for the film.
In addition to the band-recruited film crews that will shoot footage in all 50 states on the 4th of July, Thirty Seconds of Mars are also asking their fans to film their own Independence Day experience for the project, which they can then submit to the band’s website.
“I want people to capture what’s important to them, in their state. We want to see the real America,” Leto said in a statement.
“A baby being born, the complete circle of life, a billionaire, a family living in a shelter, police patrolling the streets, protesters, refugees, heroes and villains, a truck driver, a sky diver, a sex worker, a base jumper, a firefighter, and every great race, color and creed that make up the fabric of our nation. Trailer parks and Trump hotels, big cities and small towns, farmers and football players. A doctor, a preacher, a baptism, a funeral. Sunrise and Sunset. Let’s show it in all its beauty – warts and all.”
The project will likely tie in with Thirty Seconds to Mars’ new LP, the follow-up to 2013’s Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams.
Speaking to People about the “A Day in the Life of America” project, Leto said, “When I was a kid my mother subscribed to National Geographic, an incredible magazine that taught me a lot and showed me the world, as it has done for so many people. But at some point, in 1986 I believe, they made a book about a day in the life of America, and they got photographers from all over the world to come here and shoot photographs for a day.”
He continued, “I always remembered that book, and when I was working on my new album, certain themes started to arise and I realized that it was an incredible opportunity to make a portrait of America and make a film about who and what were are. It ties into what I’ve been writing about, and the songs myself and Thirty Seconds to Mars have been creating for our new album.”