Filming a Music Video: A Step-by-Step Guide with Sam Plecker

In a detailed walkthrough published on PetaPixel, filmmaker and photographer shares his process for creating a music video for musician Sam Plecker's upcoming track. The project, filmed at Plecker's family cabin in Washington, centers on a vintage orange Honda moped that Plecker restored. The filmmaker emphasizes the importance of finding a narrative thread, which in this case is the bike and Plecker's attachment to it. The shoot utilized a Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55 camera rented from Fotocare in New York, modified with a GF mount to use a GF 32-90mm f/3.5 Power Zoom lens, along with Vespid V1 primes and a PL converter. The rig included a V-Mount battery, an Atomos Shogun II monitor, and a Bright Tangerine matte box. Settings were locked before recording: 800 ISO, 4K in 4:3 open gate, recorded in F-Log2C to CFexpress Type B cards, and monitored through a LUT on the Shogun. A high-frame-rate playback trick was employed, speeding up the track between 1.25x and 2x and filming at corresponding frame rates to achieve slow-motion lip-sync. Visual strategy included macro extension tubes for detail shots, natural light with a portable bounce for singing vignettes, and riding shots from a Tacoma truck with an open tailgate. The filmmaker advises letting shots breathe in the edit and encourages collaboration and creating without perfectionism.