Earlier this week, Apple announced that the iPhone 16 Pro series of phones was getting upgraded with the ability to capture 4K at 120 frames per second (FPS). It also said The Weeknd’s new music video was shot exclusively on iPhone to showcase this feature.
The music video is for The Weeknd’s new song “Dancing In The Flames” which will be part of his upcoming album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” which, at the time of publication, did not have an official release date. During Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max announcement on Monday, parts of the song and the behind-the-scenes video of its production was available but the full music video was not. That changed last night when The Weeknd uploaded the song to YouTube.
There are two notable aspects of this music video. First, it was shot on iPhone in 4K 120FPS in ProRes log, and the footage looks exceptional. Even if a viewer is aware that the video was shot on a smartphone, it’s hard not to be impressed with the quality it produces. The footage lacks the typical over-sharpened look of smartphone footage and there are no visible pixels, even in tight shots. Skin tone also looks similar to what is possible to capture on modern Micro Four Thirds or Super35 digital cameras.
Second, the team chose to have The Weeknd sing extra fast in production so that the slow motion would be usable but also allow his mouth to move at a normal pace, creating a unique look that is exceptionally difficult for on-camera talent.
The music video was directed by Anton Tammi in coordination with director of photography Erik Henrikkson. A full behind-the-scenes video of the production was uploaded earlier this week:
“When we were told that the iPhone can now shoot in 4K, 120 fps we wanted to do a music video shot in slow-motion,” says Henrikkson. “Shooting 4K 120 really helped us slow down reality; slow down the elements; slow down The Weeknd’s movements.”
Apple likely worked closely with the production team, so highly praiseworthy pull-quotes are expected. That said, even a neutral eye likely agrees with them — there is a reason the iPhone is PetaPixel‘s choice for the best video on a smartphone.
“Using iPhone 16 Pro is starting to erase the line between what’s considered a ‘professional camera’ and what’s not. And I think this is really really going to help young filmmakers coming up,” Henrikkson adds.
“We were shooting with very bright HDMI backlights hitting the rain and that was something I was worried about. ‘How will the iPhone pick these lights up, how will the contrast be managed, how will this look on the Weeknd’s face?’ And when I saw the results, I was blown away, to be honest.”
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max pre-orders started this week and the phones are set to start shipping on September 20.