“Little Mirror” by Zen Pace

A love letter to our inner child.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

"Little Mirror" is an introspective journey that explores the complexities of self-discovery and artistic expression. Inspired by both my experience with the therapeutic practice of inner child work and my friend, Cavier Coleman's journey

Cav and I are both from Michigan, me from Flint and him from Saginaw. But we met here in New York and became fast friends. We both have had our struggles with personal demons and are reclaiming our lives through art. For me, Cav is a renaissance artist, taking on many forms and always at play. It made me want to know more, so I started having conversations about his process. Here's a quote from him: "I will have to say my art connects definitely with my inner child. Art helps me to forget all the stress that society strains us with. When in reality we all just want to be free and explore our soul."

At its core, "Little Mirror" is a love letter to the inner child within each of us. For this reason, it was important to use narrative elements to create an expressionistic film rather than only a portrait of an artist.

Throughout the piece, we hear this conversation between Cav and his younger self. At times, he is tempted to bury the unresolved aspects of himself, but ultimately, through the lyrical prose, he finds redemption and self-acceptance. In this way, "Little Mirror" serves as a coming-of-age story. Young Cav represents both the innocence we hold and the fragmented pieces of an artist's psyche. All those stories and critiques we tell ourselves. By avoiding the conversation with our younger selves, we avoid becoming whole.

This was true for my journey as an artist. When I got sober six years ago, it was the first time I fully felt everything. I denied my artistic self for so long. But as I started these conversations with Little Zen, I was able to release so many of the stories given to me but weren't my own.

As viewers take in this piece, my hope is that they will be inspired to initiate their own conversations with their inner selves.

To bring the piece together, I collaborated with other artists to help create a musically driven and lyrical form that moves like water throughout the piece. The hope is that after viewing, the audience lingers in reflection, perhaps initiating their own conversations with their inner selves.”

-Zen Pace

Credits

A film by Zen Pace 

Featuring// Cavier Coleman

Voice Over and Poem by Ewurakua Dawson

Editor// Sophia Lou 

Composer// Adam Weiss 

Concept// Zen Pace

Cast 

Cavier Coleman as himself 

Young Cav// Micah Pedley

Producer// Rebecca Mendoza & Max Johnson

Creative Producer// Moe LaRena

DP// Steve McCord

Music Production// Found Objects

Music Head of Creative Production// Elijah Torn

Music Executive Producer// Katt Matt

Color and Sound House// Forager 

Color by Carlos Flores 

Sound design/Mix by Bobb Barito 

1st AC// Brian Ansel

2nd AC (Sunday)// James Reslier-Wells

Steadi Cam// Laura Eraud

1st Assistant Director// Emmi Shockley

G&E Gear// 3EV Production Studio

Additional G&E Gear// Lightbulb Rentals

Lighting Technician// Moe LaRena

Hazer// Martin Blanco

Grip// Tate Shockley

Insurance// Palette Group

Production Designer// Catharina Schürenberg

Art Assist// Diana Hu

Special Thanks

Kyle Glenn
Lorenzo Holder
Joseph Nelzey
Iz Medina
Athalie Vanloo
Herman Battle 

Location// The Harrison Family Bonus Room 


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