Nameless You
An intimate confrontation with the self
Directed by Zen Pace
Directed by Zen Pace, Nameless You invites viewers into an intimate confrontation with the self. Blending traditional filmmaking with cutting-edge AI techniques, this short film authentically highlights the transformative power of reconnecting with one’s inner child.
Nameless You doesn’t just tell a story; it invites the audience to witness and potentially reflect on their own journey of self-reconciliation.
Nameless You offers an intimate experience by having participants write letters to their inner child. Can you walk us through what led you to explore this theme and your creative process?
I've been intrested in Inner Child work since I got sober. It was a way for me to talk to the different parts that exist in me. Those inner parts I found to be Little Zens, representing different emotions, or sometimes many. When I talked with those parts, I feared them less, hated them less. I invited them in and by doing so, I found healing on the other side. So I knew I wanted to make a piece with this type of framework. Essentially, taking the practice I had in therapy and creating an artistic experiment with it.
The film beautifully blends traditional cinematic techniques with new AI software like Luma AI. How did this approach enhance the storytelling, and were there many challenges with integrating these technologies?
Yea so this was done when Luma just came out. I view AI as a tool, but I don't view it in anyway as something more than that. I was interested in how Luma can contract and retract an image with NERF. To me, it felt like birth and rebirth. Which tied into this project because when we are introspective and when we do have these conversations with our inner most selves, we can choose not be defined by primitive years. We can mold anew.
Could you share with us how you designed the audio for the film, ensuring it effectively captured the essence of these personal letters and the subjects' emotional journeys?
Ben the editor did an amazing job with sound design and laid a great framework for One Thousand Birds who gave it this ethereal texture which is something I'm always attracted to.
The visual style of Nameless You is incredibly striking. Can you discuss your approach to the cinematography, particularly in capturing the raw, unfiltered reactions of the subjects as they listen to their letters?
[From Peter Pascucci - DP] We were inspired by the high-key look of studio portrait photography, stripping away distractions and allowing us to focus on the nuances and quiet feelings of our cast. We wanted the camera to feel like a mirror, with the lighting creating a white void that enveloped each person. To counter that look, we experimented with Luma AI, orbiting around talent and creating the feeling of entering their subconscious. The mixture of these techniques, as well as dynamic lighting, beams of light, lens flares and atmosphere, peeled away layers of reality in an attempt to visualize the conversations we have with our inner self”.
“To me, the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to continually keep writing new chapters for ourselves. Press harder into our subconscious and maybe root out even more beauty than we could have ever expected.”
The film consists of people being extremely open and vulnerable on-screen, as they engage in a deeply personal exercise. How did you select the participants, and what was it like guiding them through this process?
I selected people who have big hearts. People I'm drawn to. That aren't afraid to go there. That indeed, when they do, they can hold those uncomfortable spaces. Sometimes those spaces can trigger others, so I was mindful of not directing them in a way that felt safe.
You mentioned that your work is heavily influenced by Internal Family Systems therapy, which you discovered during your sobriety journey. How would you say this therapeutic approach impacted your filmmaking and personal creative expression?
IFS is a story. This is a story. We'll just constantly creating our own narrative yet so often get stuck in a chapter of our lives, we live that chapter, and sometimes we die in it. To me, the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to continually keep writing new chapters for ourselves. Press harder into our subconscious and maybe root out even more beauty than we could have ever expected.
As Nameless You is part of a larger series, what can we expect from future instalments, and how do you envision the series evolving in terms of theme and technique?
This series is in my heart. I want to take it to museums, books. I want the world to be a part of this and would like it to be a movement. I want all of us to start talking to our inner child. First a website will be made and I'll be taking this experiment into other parts of the world. Asking people from everywhere to join in.
Zen Pace - Director
DP - @peterpascucci
AC - @gibblegabble
EDIT - @bnjjjjmn
MUSIC - @mattwmusic
SOUND - @coolguyian
GAFFER - @ez_gbreezy
KEY GRIP - @henryjwolf
SOUND DESIGN - @otbirds @sarahweck
FLAME - @eugenefrombk