What It’s Like Spending 18 Hours a Day Filming Kanye West

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Reports detail a series of increasingly erratic behaviors from Kanye West (now legally known as Ye). These include making Kim Kardashian cry during a trip to Uganda, telling Kris Jenner that her suggestions about his mental health made him feel weak, and publicly criticizing Saturday Night Live, leading to a heated confrontation with Michael Che. He also allegedly expressed fears of assassination to Jared Kushner, demanding special treatment for a White House visit, and shared with Pharrell Williams a belief that God would prevent him from losing his wife, endorsements, and fans – a statement that now seems tragically ironic given subsequent events.

The new documentary, *In Whose Name?*, released on September 19th, offers a surprisingly intimate look at the complex life of the famous hip-hop artist Ye. Compiled from over 3,000 hours of footage filmed between 2016 and 2024, the film follows Ye’s journey with unprecedented access. Director Nico Ballesteros, then an 18-year-old art student and fashion enthusiast, unexpectedly found himself becoming Ye’s primary documentarian after another videographer left the project. For years, Ballesteros dedicated almost his entire life to the film, traveling the world by private jet and gaining a front-row seat to meetings with prominent figures like Drake, Anna Wintour, Lady Gaga, Elon Musk, LeBron James, and many others – all while often surviving on minimal sleep. The result is a deeply immersive portrait of a groundbreaking, yet often controversial, artist.

The documentary is full of striking moments – like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian privately renewing their vows in 2019 (an event never shown on *Keeping Up With the Kardashians*), West explaining his controversial “death con 3” statement about Jewish people, and him sharing parenting struggles with Elon Musk in a peculiar setting. However, what’s most interesting about *In Whose Name?* as a film isn’t what *is* included, but what’s left out. It largely avoids typical documentary elements like title cards, interviews, and much external context to explain the footage.

This new documentary builds on the story started in Netflix’s 2022 film about Kanye West, *Jeen-Yuhs*, but it’s likely to resonate most with devoted fans. Those unfamiliar with West’s recent decade of public statements, controversies, and career moves might find it hard to follow. Early viewers say Kanye, after seeing a preview of the film (which wasn’t officially approved by him), felt like he was watching his life from beyond the grave. However, even dedicated fans might notice some things are left out, such as his admitted struggle with pornography, his relationship with dentist Thomas Connelly (whom he’s currently suing, claiming Connelly caused a nitrous oxide addiction leading to health problems), and his wife, Bianca Censori, and the unusual circumstances surrounding their marriage and public appearances, all of which occurred during the time covered in the documentary.

Sitting in a quiet booth at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, 28-year-old Ballesteros explained his long journey working with Kanye West – known as Ye – and his vision for the documentary *In Whose Name?*. He wants the film to be open to viewers’ own interpretations, rather than presenting a single, definitive message about the artist.

You got plucked from obscurity to do this project.
Nico Ballesteros: It was a dream, yeah.

He had options to work with much more well-known directors, like Spike Jonze and Werner Herzog. However, I believe this project needed someone young and inexperienced – someone with a fresh perspective and a willingness to collaborate – to truly succeed.

At the time, Kanye was a major cultural icon. But I didn’t just see him as someone who made music; I saw him as someone who shaped culture and nurtured talent. I thought of him as a hub for creativity, like the Central Saint Martins art school. When I started filming, I was simply interested in observing his interactions with others-and how they reacted to him. It was a learning experience, like getting a rare, behind-the-scenes look at something special, especially because his creative process was so enigmatic back then.

During a conversation with Pharrell, Kanye West described the project as a film exploring mental health. He also talked about the concept of Method acting and feeling like we’re all characters in someone else’s story. It was a deeply thoughtful, but also quite abstract, discussion. This happened during the first week of filming, and I immediately realized this would be a challenging and significant undertaking.

They didn’t really give me clear work terms or rules. At first, I had a schedule, but that stopped being used. After that, I had to reach out to my boss directly – just texting him good morning – or check with security and the jet broker to find out if we were flying anywhere. There weren’t any official guidelines, just one instruction: don’t turn off the camera.

You were filming for eighteen hours a day the whole time? Yeah, I’d record clips on my iPhone for about six hours at a stretch, only pausing for bathroom breaks. But honestly, I barely even paused then, because I was afraid I’d miss something important if I did.

He wanted a full-time videographer during that period because he was experiencing unprecedented financial success with Adidas – earning more money than any athlete or celebrity, with huge deposits regularly made into his account. He wasn’t trying to put on a show for the camera, but he was conscious of his unique position and wanted to share a glimpse into that extraordinary experience, which is when the filming really began.

It feels like a dangerous bargain. You get incredible access – witnessing the most talented people at work and hearing their best ideas. But the cost is incredibly high: almost all of your time and energy. Still, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Even as a child, I loved filming my everyday life with a small camera, then watching it all back later. I simply enjoy experiencing the world through a lens.

Let’s talk about some parts of the documentary and what you remember. There’s a scene where Ye is aggressively dismissing the ideas of Jacques Herzog, a very famous architect, and dominating his design team. This happened shortly after the trip to Uganda, which followed immediately after the White House visit. That’s my favorite part of the film because it shows Ye’s evolution – from music producer to rapper, then to shoe designer, and finally to someone interested in fashion and architecture. I always felt architecture was the next logical step for him. He consistently strives for a life without limits, and this scene captures his attempt to shape the future and express healing through creation. He wanted to design a safe space – a place where a child could spend a month alone without fear of harm.

It was a really strange experience filming him meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. Honestly, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open – I kept accidentally letting the camera fall. It felt like a dream.

Filming Kanye and Kim’s safari trip, it was obvious their marriage was struggling. It felt like a truly unhappy family vacation, and everyone around the world was asking what was happening. My job was simply to keep recording, trusting that the story would become clear during editing. It forced me to distance myself from outside opinions and just observe everything objectively. People suggested I keep a journal, but I was too focused on capturing the footage. However, reviewing the recordings transported me back to how I felt as a 19-year-old, almost as if I was experiencing it all over again.

Honestly, I’ve never really understood Kim Kardashian. But this film completely changed my perspective. For the first time, I felt real sympathy for her, watching her desperately try to hold her family together while Kanye struggled with his mental health. I approached the project aiming for journalistic integrity, of course, but also with a lot of empathy – it’s something deeply personal for me. Growing up, my parents’ divorce was a chaotic time, and I coped by filming everything – it was my way of escaping. So, even though the Wests’ situation was on a much grander, public scale, I connected with it on a human level. Having that camera felt familiar, like a way to process difficult emotions, just like I did as a kid.

Following Kanye’s appearance on SNL – where Michael Che seemed ready to confront him – Kanye turned to you and asked for your honest opinion. You responded with a cryptic statement: “It’s the start of a transition.” What did you mean by that? Why didn’t you simply say what seemed obvious – that people were clearly upset with him? You explained that, having not spoken to Kanye for months before filming, you chose to simply observe and document what was happening. You wanted to be genuine and avoid offering a shallow response. Your goal was to encourage further unfolding of events, rather than deflect from the truth or change the dynamic of the situation.

There’s a striking moment in the film where Kanye West appears at Fashion Week wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt. You filmed him both before and after, initially aware he was intentionally trying to provoke a reaction, and then seemingly surprised by the intense backlash. He claimed it was a joke that was taken too far. Did you include this to offer a different perspective on the controversy surrounding the shirt? While filming, I didn’t have much time to follow the news closely. I knew things were gaining attention, but I wasn’t even reading the headlines. For example, when I asked him about “death con 3,” I genuinely didn’t understand what it meant, even its military context. So, sometimes the media itself became a character in the film – I showed the headlines alongside the full story to highlight the difference. However, I didn’t specifically include this to balance the controversy; I was simply documenting the events as they unfolded.

I noticed a couple of things missing, and I was wondering why your wife, Bianca Censori, isn’t in the film. You got married in 2022, right? The reason is simply that I didn’t have any footage of her, as the marriage happened after I finished filming.

Dr. Thomas Connelly, a dentist, fitted Ye with titanium dentures and is now facing accusations of causing Ye to become dependent on nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which some believe contributed to his emotional ups and downs. Were you ever involved in filming with Dr. Connelly? No, I hadn’t filmed anything by that point; I stopped much earlier.

It’s amazing you managed to create a 106-minute film from 3,000 hours of footage! Was the editing process focused on building a clear narrative, or simply selecting moments featuring specific artists like Drake and Lady Gaga? The focus was always the story. I initially tried a different approach, structuring an earlier cut around his connection with America and how America viewed him. That’s why the film is dedicated to America – and what that even means – and why it opens with the Jack Kerouac quote.

How scared were you to show the film to Ye?
I wasn’t scared.

He never actually signed anything that would have allowed us to stop the project, right? That’s right, there was no signed paperwork. I went over it with him multiple times – after about two hours and forty minutes, then a shorter two-hour version, and finally with the completed version.

He described the experience as feeling like he was looking back on his life from beyond death. He repeatedly expressed how profoundly moved he was and how grateful he felt, thanking me personally. He also thanked my friend and colleague, Shy Ranje, acknowledging the hard work and dedication involved. I always felt a strong sense of love and respect coming from him.

So he never said, “How dare you include XYZ”?
No.

He didn’t want any changes made to the portrayal of the character? No, he emphasized the importance of showing all aspects of a person-both the good and the bad. That’s why I always aimed for a complete and balanced depiction.

The film is titled ‘In Whose Name?’ because it explores a complex question beyond the surface-level associations people might assume. It’s not simply about Adidas, Kanye West’s Yeezy brand, his personal relationships with Kim Kardashian or his mother, Donda, or even his faith. The filmmaker felt a responsibility to create something with more depth than what was already publicly known about these topics.

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2025-09-24 20:57