HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Artifact'' is a 2012 American
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
directed by
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...
under the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins. It was produced by Leto and Emma Ludbrook through their production company Sisyphus. ''Artifact'' chronicles the modern music business as it charts the legal dispute between Leto's rock band
Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums, pe ...
and record label
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
, which filed a $30 million breach of contract lawsuit against them in 2008, after the band tried to exit its contract over a royalties dispute. Thirty Seconds to Mars is shown working with producer
Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
to create the 2009 album ''
This Is War ''This Is War'' is the third studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on December 8, 2009 through Virgin Records. It was the band's first studio album in four years, after the breakthrough of their previous work, ''A ...
'', meeting with lawyers between recording sessions. ''Artifact'' had its world premiere at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...
where it received the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary. Critics praised the examination of the state of the modern music industry and its focus on the relationship between artists and record companies. The film received a limited theatrical release beginning November 23, 2013, before being released digitally on December 3, 2013.


Synopsis

The film follows rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars as they first learn of and then begin to fight a $30 million lawsuit brought by record label
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
. At the time, they had been writing songs in preparation for the follow-up to their 2005 album ''
A Beautiful Lie ''A Beautiful Lie'' is the second studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records. It was produced by Josh Abraham. ''A Beautiful Lie'' differs notably from the band's self-titled d ...
''. For the bulk of the film, the band, consisting of
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...
, his brother
Shannon Leto Shannon Leto (; born March 9, 1970) is an American musician best known as the drummer of rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He co-founded the group in 1998 in Los Angeles, California, with his younger brother Jared. Their debut album, ''30 Seco ...
, and
Tomo Miličević Tomislav "Tomo" Miličević (; born September 3, 1979) is a Bosnian-American musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars from 2003 to 2018. Born in Sarajevo but raised in the United States, M ...
, is shown working with producers
Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
and
Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...
to create what would eventually become ''
This Is War ''This Is War'' is the third studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on December 8, 2009 through Virgin Records. It was the band's first studio album in four years, after the breakthrough of their previous work, ''A ...
''. Between recording sessions, they meet with lawyers to negotiate for the band's survival. Beyond the band's specific legal issues and insight into the making of the new album, the film also examines the state of the modern music industry as a whole, focusing on the complex relationships between major labels and their artists. Other musicians give their first-hand accounts of their own experiences in the business. The logistics and economics of how a record company works are explained by music industry insiders, including former EMI employees, music producers and music journalists. They trace the impact of the growing American economic recession on the industry, wherein many companies were taken over by larger groups who thought they could save them. In this instance,
Terra Firma Capital Partners Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd. (TFCP) is a UK-based private equity firm. Financier Guy Hands founded the firm in 2002 through the spin-off of Nomura Principal Finance Group. The firm, which traces its roots to the formation of its predecess ...
sought to rescue EMI despite having little experience in music management. Meanwhile, Thirty Seconds to Mars are also shown struggling with larger questions of art, money, and integrity. Vignettes in this vein include "people talking about everything from love, art, war, the state of the music industry, and the world." Participants include
Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been chai ...
, Bob Lefsetz, technologist
Daniel Ek Daniel Ek (born 21 February 1983) is a Swedish billionaire entrepreneur and technologist. He is the co-founder and CEO of music streaming service Spotify. Early life and education Ek grew up in the Rågsved district of Stockholm, Sweden. He gra ...
(founder of music streaming service
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
),
Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezrin' ...
,
Neil Strauss Neil Darrow Strauss, also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American author, journalist and ghostwriter. He is best known for his book '' The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists'', in which he describes his ...
, as well as musicians
Chester Bennington Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter who was best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of the bands Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, a ...
,
Brandon Boyd Brandon Charles Boyd (born February 15, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, author and visual artist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Incubus, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. In a ...
, and
Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...
. Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist and author of the popular science book '' This Is Your Brain On Music'', also appears, as do the Leto brothers' mother Constance and a family friend.


Background

Despite selling millions of albums, Thirty Seconds to Mars found themselves more than a million dollars in debt to
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
, the parent label of
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
, to which the band was signed at the time. The band also said that they had made no profit from the album sales. In reaction to this, in August 2008, the band attempted to sign with a new label after completing the ''A Beautiful Lie'' tour. This in turn prompted EMI to file a lawsuit stating that the band had failed to produce three of the five records they were obligated to deliver under their 1999 contract. Thirty Seconds to Mars responded to the suit by stating that under California law, where the group is based and had originally signed its deal (which Virgin had entered into with the by-then-defunct
Immortal Records Immortal Records was an American independent record label/imprint label based in Los Angeles, California. The company helped launch the careers of such influential acts as Korn, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had ...
), one cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years. The band had been contracted for nine years, so they decided to exercise their legal right to terminate "our old, out-of-date contract, which, according to the law, is null and void." In a statement, an EMI spokesperson maintained that the label had been forced to take procedural, legal steps in order to protect their investment and rights during contract renegotiations initiated by the band and management. However, Thirty Seconds to Mars also expressed dissatisfaction with the then-recent Terra Firma takeover of EMI, as most of the employees the band had worked with were fired as a result of a major restructuring under TF chairman
Guy Hands Guy Hands (born 27 August 1959) is an English financier and investor. He is most notable as the founder and chairman of Terra Firma Capital Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in Europe. Hands also served as chairman of the UK mu ...
. The band were among several of the label's artists, unhappy with the transition, who quickly tried to terminate their contracts; the list also included
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
. Former EMI executives gave interviews describing how the sale resulted in massive upheaval and staff cuts. After nearly a year of legal battles, Thirty Seconds To Mars announced on April 28, 2009, that the suit had been settled. The suit was resolved following a defence based on a contract case involving actress
Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
decades before. Jared Leto explained, "The California Appeals Court ruled that no service contract in California is valid after seven years, and it became known as the De Havilland Law after she used it to get out of her contract with
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
" Thirty Seconds to Mars then signed a new contract with EMI. Leto said that the band had "resolved our differences with EMI" and the decision had been made because of "the willingness and enthusiasm by EMI to address our major concerns and issues, ndthe opportunity to return to work with a team so committed and passionate about Thirty Seconds to Mars." After the suit's resolution, Nick Gatfield, EMI Music's president of A&R labels for North America and the United Kingdom, stated, "We are thrilled to have set aside our differences and signed a new agreement with Thirty Seconds to Mars. Our relationship has been extremely rewarding and successful, and we're eager to move forward and put our global team to work."


Production

''Artifact'' was made on a limited budget provided by Leto and producing partner Emma Ludbrook through the production company Sisyphus Corporation. It was shot digitally and filmed in various parts of Los Angeles, California, beginning with the advent of Thirty Seconds to Mars' legal struggles in August 2008. Four camera operators taped more than 3,000 hours of raw footage involving the band, ending in 2009 with the lawsuit's resolution and the subsequent release of their new album. The footage included real-life recording sessions and legal meetings. The final film was produced by Ludbrook and Leto, who also made his directorial debut under his longtime pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins. Shelby Siegel served as supervising editor. The film's soundtrack features songs by Thirty Seconds to Mars, with additional music provided by
Cliff Martinez Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Since the 1990s, he has worked primarily as a film sc ...
and Maya Arulpragasam. Given the band's successful use of the De Havilland Law, Leto contacted actress
Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
, but she declined to participate on-camera, although she did agree to meet with him. The film was initially planned as a documentary about Thirty Seconds to Mars' creative process while recording their next album, but upon the advent of the lawsuit, was retooled as a documentary about making that album in the face of a legal battle that might prevent it from being released. Leto described the film as "a really special, DIY project." He explained, "We all shared a part of our lives that we've never shared on-screen before, a very intimate and personal part of our lives. We take you ... inside the studio, and in our hearts, and in our minds, to share how difficult this point is in our lives—just battling this massive corporation, and fighting for what we believe in." Upon the film's release, Leto told ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' that "I hope that artists and audiences watch this film and get a greater understanding of how things work n the record industry because understanding is the beginning of change."


Release

''Artifact'' premiered at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...
on September 15. It was later screened on November 8, 2012 at the opening night of the DOC NYC, a New York City documentary festival. In November 2012, it was announced that The Works International had picked up international sales for the film. On November 26, 2012, ''Artifact'' received the
Audience Award An audience award is typically an award at a film festival (or some other type of cultural festival or similar competition) which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics. Example ...
at the 22nd Gotham Independent Film Awards. On March 13, 2013, the film was screened at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
. It also appeared at the
Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Fest ...
on August 9, 2013. Thirty Seconds to Mars held a special screening of ''Artifact'' on August 31, 2013 on the online platform
VyRT VyRT was an American provider of on-demand Internet streaming media available to viewers worldwide. The company was established in late 2011 and was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. VyRT was founded by entertainer Jared Leto as a websit ...
. The film was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in September 2013 through
VyRT VyRT was an American provider of on-demand Internet streaming media available to viewers worldwide. The company was established in late 2011 and was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. VyRT was founded by entertainer Jared Leto as a websit ...
. It received a worldwide theatrical release beginning November 23, 2013. FilmBuff released the film to digital retailers and video on demand services on December 3, 2013. At the end of 2013, ''Artifact'' was included among the iTunes Movies Indie Hits of 2013. In February 2014,
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
picked up international television rights to distribute the film.


Reception

Upon its premiere at the
2012 Toronto International Film Festival The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...
, ''Artifact'' was favorably received by critics and audiences for its look inside the state of the modern recording industry. It received a standing ovation and won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary. Jason Gorber, writing for
Twitch Film Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
, described ''Artifact'' as an interesting film "asking a number of important questions about the commerce of art, and does so in an engaging way." Film critic Kenji Lloyd awarded ''Artifact'' five stars out of five and called it "one of the greatest music documentaries ever made, and an important documentary for our times." He felt that the film "gives an honest, frank, and inside look at the antiquated system that bands are faced with when they're attached to a major label." Allan Tong of ''
Filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
'' wrote that Leto "does a fine job (with his editors) of weaving the lawsuit with interviews from rock journalists and former EMI executives." Samantha Stott from The New Transmission felt that "''Artifact'' is one of the most honest pieces of work about the industry to have ever been made. It is a real credit to everyone involved and that shared their opinions, views and insights." Ann Hornaday of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' praised the film, describing it as enlightening and engaging. Francesca McCaffery of ''
BlackBook ''BlackBook'' is an arts and culture magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase ...
'' commented that the film "highlights the creative challenges of making art in a way that many documentaries often aspire to, but rarely achieve." She also praised Leto's direction. Film critic Mike McGranaghan awarded the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "''Artifact'' is a fascinating documentary because it pulls back the curtain on the music business." He said that the film works both as an "accounting of a good band making an album during a bad time" and as an "indictment of a business practice that screws the people who actually make the product." Natalie Robehmed from ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' stated that the film "vitriolically breaks down what Leto considers to be grave imbalances, showing in one infographic how label contracts can result in bands accumulating debt with every release thanks to promotional costs, recording bills and advances record labels recoup." Isabel Cupryn from Criticize This! gave the film four stars out of five and called it the ''
Super Size Me ''Super Size Me'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he ate only McDonald's f ...
'' of the music industry.


References


External links

* * * * {{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''Artifact'' , list = {{Gotham Independent Film Audience Award {{TIFF People's Choice Documentaries 2012 documentary films 2012 films American documentary films American independent films Documentary films about the music industry EMI 2012 independent films Films directed by Jared Leto Films shot in Los Angeles Thirty Seconds to Mars Rockumentaries 2012 directorial debut films Works published under a pseudonym 2010s English-language films 2010s American films