From performing at Tomorrowland at age 17 to becoming the first Chinese artist signed by BMG, one of America’s “Big Four” record labels, young musician Chace has added another achievement to his portfolio: “Tunnel Vision.”
Drawing inspiration from Michael Jackson, Chace cleverly incorporated various 80s elements while avoiding nostalgia, instead giving the song a fresh, modern feel. “Tunnel Vision” is a thoroughly contemporary retro piece: sonically vibrant yet with mysterious undertones.
Last week, Chace released this new work along with its music video, shot on iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, with post-production completed on MacBook Pro.
ifanr was invited to a preview screening where we not only got an early look at the music video but also discussed the creative process and technical details with Chace, witnessing yet another evolution in iPhone 16’s professional filming capabilities.
▲ Preview sharing session, from left to right: Director of Photography Chen Dawei, Chace, and special host @呆若木一
Post-production? No, Pre-production!
To be fair, iPhone’s powerful imaging capabilities are no longer surprising – the deeper value of mobile photography lies in its position within the workflow.
In September, Chace attended Apple’s fall product launch event and was impressed by The Weeknd’s new music video “Dancing In The Flame” shown there.
This iPhone 16 Pro production inspired Chace to use the same device for his upcoming music video.
The new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature enhanced Pro camera systems powered by new hardware, software, and the advanced A18 Pro chip. Both models include a new 48MP Fusion camera with faster sensors, new 48MP ultra-wide camera with high-resolution options, and a 5x telephoto lens with superior zoom capabilities.
Higher resolution combined with versatile camera controls make the system, equivalent to seven professional lenses, more powerful than ever and well-suited for music video production.
Chace has previously directed and starred in several music videos, including “Cinematic,” a 6-minute short film paying homage to Nolan. This was his first attempt at shooting a music video with iPhone, making stress testing and solution adjustment particularly important. He and his longtime cinematographer Chen Dawei made extensive contingency plans before shooting, though unexpected situations still arose on set.
During the two-day shoot, Chace adopted a special strategy: front-loading post-production work. Specifically, he prepared solutions in advance and tested them through pre-shooting, adjusting plans as needed. This meant the final shoot only needed to recreate what was already tested.
The iPhone 16 Pro made this approach possible – no production crew using professional equipment could afford such a workflow.
“With our usual setup, like professional camera equipment, then After Effects, then DaVinci, who would do test shoots with you?” Chace explained. “That would mean burning money with 30 people waiting for you.”
On set, the iPhone 16 Pro handled shooting, monitoring, and transfer tasks. When Chace and Chen discovered that AirDrop caused some quality loss, they switched to SSD transfers. With Thunderbolt 4 Pro cables and other USB 3 connections, iPhone can achieve transfer speeds up to 10 Gb/s between itself and other USB 3 devices.
The set also included an editing station equipped with a MacBook Pro running Final Cut Pro for Mac and Apple’s first 32-inch 6K Retina display – Apple’s most advanced professional display with over a billion colors, 1600 nits peak brightness, and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Final Cut Pro, optimized for Apple silicon and powered by the Metal engine, enabled quick processing of footage and complex project editing.
The workflow became: shoot a segment, transfer via SSD, perform basic color grading and editing in Final Cut Pro, review the results, and adjust original plans for blocking, direction, lighting, etc. By final shooting, most issues had been discovered and resolved through pre-shooting.
This significantly reduced post-production work – and not just in terms of time.
“This doesn’t just save time, it eliminates risk,” Chace explained, noting the video’s numerous composite shots. Any flaws in principal photography would create substantial post-production work.
“If we discover shadow overlaps in post, I’d need professionals for rotoscoping, not just simple cuts. Even slight camera shake isn’t fixed by simple rotation – depth of field differences come into play. So I need to test everything, otherwise it’s not just time but energy and cost that all need adjustment.”
Rather than comparing equipment directly to conclude that mobile shooting is more convenient, it’s more accurate to say that phones have reconstructed the entire shooting workflow. Without the iPhone 16’s comprehensive capabilities, such a strategy would be difficult to implement.
Even Tim Cook, visiting the set, remarked that it was rare to see so much work done on location.
“Many people fall into the trap of industrialization and technology, like insisting on specific apertures or numbers,” Chace said. “Whether shooting video or making music, tools are meant to be used.” It’s up to creators to use and decide.
Like Chace demonstrated, when post-production work can be front-loaded, the reduced costs, time, and burden release possibilities beyond imagination.
More Features, More Possibilities
Those who’ve seen “Dancing In The Flames” will likely remember its numerous slow-motion sequences.
Achieving such shots on a phone is possible thanks to the A18’s powerful performance, enabling 4K 120 fps Dolby Vision video recording with ultra-high-resolution slow motion and flexible frame rate adjustment during editing.
Similarly, in “Tunnel Vision,” several slow-motion shots became highlights. Throughout the MV, slow-motion sequences appear frequently: an orange falling from a paper bag onto tracks, characters pushing and pulling each other. These normally fleeting moments, when slowed down, fully convey emotions and amplify both absurdity and drama.
This isn’t a work seeking clear meaning, but rather one with elements of theatre and absurdity. “The script was finalized just two days before shooting,” Chace shared. “We wanted to see if we could use a somewhat nonsensical approach in a limited space to make people feel something happening, to draw them in during these three minutes.”
“So we created this orange motif, from which a series of strange, somewhat ambiguous events unfold.”
The orange sequence became a key plot point in the MV, fully showcasing how the iPhone 16 Pro’s 4K 120fps capability enhances creative possibilities.
Beyond the main video, the cover was also shot on iPhone 16 Pro. The new generation Photographic Styles delivered excellent image quality with greater post-production flexibility, while advances in computational photography deepened iPhone’s understanding of skin tones, colors, highlights, and shadows, enabling real-time processing and more creative space.
This was a completely different shooting experience from previous ones. Looking back, Chace noted that although he often directs and acts, this was an entirely different situation.
“Previously, I played two roles. Besides the character on screen, my role as director was simply to confirm if a shot was good. Playback, check, OK – that was my only job. The producer and art director handled everything else, I just needed to verify the shots.”
This time, he was busy every minute on set. “I was working on every aspect – while others might rest, I was constantly checking shots and compositing. This might relate to my personality; I want to oversee everything possible.”
Additionally, the new workflow and production method inspired him to immerse himself more fully, making his various ideas possible. “Apple has always valued creativity and creative power. I wanted to give more – collaboration with Apple should be like this.”