GABE PACINO / SHOTLIST

GABE PACINO / THE ARTIST’S CONTENT PLAYBOOK

ONE SONG.
MORE CONTENT.

Your song is finished. Plan a shoot, film with your phone, and turn the footage into a batch of posts.

Start the guideGet the one-page checklist
01 / Reps02 / Inspiration03 / Shoot04 / MultiplyYour shot list

THE SYSTEM I USE MYSELF

628K+YouTube views · lifetime
1M+Impressions · 12 months
300+Posts · 12 months / 5 platforms

My own music and educational content. September 2026 figures; results vary.

THE FOUR PRINCIPLES

YOUR FOUR STEPS.

01

REPS OVER GEAR

Use what you have. Get better by doing it.

02

FEED YOUR EYE

Collect ideas. Give the shoot a starting point.

03

SHOOT THE WHOLE STORY

The performance. The angles. The process.

04

MAKE IT MULTIPLY

One shoot can keep giving you things to share.

01

WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

REPS OVER GEAR.

My first videos were ass. Practice, post, learn, repeat. That’s how I got better.

Don’t wait for better gear. I shot on iPhone for ten years before buying a camera. I still use my phone on most shoots.

A phone mounted on a tripod outdoors
A phone, a tripod, and a place to start. Get the take. Change the angle. Go again.

YOUR STARTING KIT

  • Your phone. Use the camera you already have.
  • A tripod or magic arm mount. Secure the phone so you can perform.
  • A second device for playback. I play the song out loud from another phone or device.
  • A location you can use. A room, a yard, a view, a wall. Let it fit the song.

DO A PRACTICE TAKE.

  • Choose your camera. I usually use the rear camera; use the front if you need to see yourself.
  • Check the frame. Record a short test in your performance position, then watch it back.
  • Check sharpness. I use iPhone autofocus. Make sure the test looks clear.
Earlier repsAn early studio video: making the music, filming the details, and putting it out.
Take 31The attempts belong in the story, too. Capture the imperfect moment and what you made from it.
Watch: one phone, one shoot, the results
One phone. One afternoon.An apartment, an available view, a friend, and a song. See the setup and what came out of it.
The setup is part of the story.A look behind the performance, followed by the finished visual. Two ways into the same piece of art.
More proof: shoot with what you have at home
A corner at homeUse the room, light, and objects you already have to give a performance its own feel.
Change the camera positionA low, close framing changes the visual without needing a new location.
TRY THIS

Pick one place you already have access to. Record a ten-second test today. Watch it, change one thing, and try again.

02

ALWAYS HAVE A STARTING POINT

FEED YOUR EYE.

Turn your algorithm from brainrot into inspiration and art.

Save artist videos that make you stop. Study the hook, framing, movement, and edit. Follow creators who explain their process.

  1. Save the reference. Build a collection you can return to before a shoot.
  2. Name what works. Is it the first frame, a close-up, the location, a cut, or the performance?
  3. Make it yours. Adapt that choice to your song, your setting, and your personality.
  4. Decide before you arrive. Know what you want to shoot and where.
Inside my saved postsMy reference feed: artist performances, visual ideas, edits, and compositions. Study the choices—not just the finished look.

FROM REFERENCE TO RELEASE

CRAFT YOUR TASTE.
THEN PUT IT TO WORK.

I saved artist references, tested a simple rig, and shot this rollout on iPhone with a couple of friends.

  • Pick a choice you like: an angle, movement, or opening.
  • Adapt it to your song, location, and equipment.
  • Film the process, too. This breakdown became another post.
References, the rig, and the finished clipsA rollout shot on iPhone: saved inspiration, setup footage, and finished performances in one process story.

YOUR ONE-SENTENCE SHOOT PLAN

“I’m shooting this song section at this location. I want it to feel like this, and I’m trying this visual idea.”

TRY THIS

Save three references. Write one specific thing you like about each. Choose one idea you can execute with what you already have.

03

PERFORMANCE + ANGLES + PROCESS

SHOOT THE
WHOLE STORY.

Capture 3–4 full-song takes. Change angles and keep performing.

THE PERFORMANCE

  • Play the song on another device.
  • Perform the whole song. Vary your energy between takes.

THE VARIATIONS

  • Move the camera: height, distance, position.
  • Get variety: wide, medium, close-up, details.

THE PROCESS

  • Use a friend or second phone to capture BTS.
  • Show the work: setup, decisions, resets, mistakes.

WATCH ME FIND THE FRAME.

One wall. Several frames.Move between wider and closer compositions. The location stays the same; the image changes.
Adjust it. Test it. Perform.The camera adjustments become an opening for the finished overhead performance.
Change the height and distance.Poolside framing with a collaborator: several perspectives from the same setting.
Shooting alone?

One phone: film a setup walkthrough between takes. Two phones: record BTS while you perform.

Sony camera showing a performer framed in a vehicle mirror
YOU DON’T NEED AN EXPENSIVE CAMERA. YOU CAN DO THIS ALL ON IPHONE.Look for a frame inside the location. Here, the mirror becomes the composition.
Sony on a tripod framing an artist seated on the grass
YOU DON’T NEED AN EXPENSIVE CAMERA. YOU CAN DO THIS ALL ON IPHONE.The lesson is camera position and framing. Try the same choices with your phone.
More examples: directing and documenting the shoot
Location. Direction. Performance.Give one clear instruction at a time. Try the movement, check the frame, then perform.
Artist checking a phone beside a microphone at the beach
The moments between takes can become useful process photos.
Artist standing at a microphone on the beach
One setting gives you performance frames, details, and stills to share.

ONE LOCATION / MORE POSSIBILITIES

MOVE THE CAMERA.
KEEP PERFORMING.

Same car, different frames. Change height, distance, and position between full takes.

Above the open doorA higher view puts the seated performance and car interior in the frame.
Closer to the windowMove in and let the window frame the performance.
Another take, another feelWardrobe, performance, and the finished color treatment give the setting a different mood.
Let the performance moveGestures and movement create more moments to cut from the same setup.

Watch the iPhone rig and the process behind these visuals

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Review your takes. Make sure you have a usable performance, different framings, details, and something that shows how you made it. Don’t discover a missing shot when you’re already home.

04

EDIT / RELEASE / REPURPOSE

MAKE IT MULTIPLY.

The idea was “shoot content for my song.” Now use that work for more than one purpose.

BUILD THE LONG EDITS FIRST.

  • Use your editor. I use CapCut on Mac. Phone apps, Edits, Final Cut, or Premiere work too.
  • Make 2–3 full-song edits. Sync the performance to your finished track.
  • Cut those edits into short clips. Reuse the work you’ve already done.

GIVE THE WHOLE SONG A CHANCE.

  • Aim for 15–20 seconds. Try sections across the whole song.
  • Start with any finished clip. Don’t wait for a perfect posting order.
  • Watch what connects. Test different sections, openings, and angles.

A SIMPLE EXAMPLE / NOT A GUARANTEED OUTPUT

3 FULL-SONG EDITS × 10 SECTIONS
= 30 PERFORMANCE CLIPS

A three-minute edit gives you ten 18-second sections. Add BTS and photo posts to grow the batch. Keep each variation worth watching. Output depends on your footage.

MY STORY / THE DELIVERABLES

A FULL MUSIC VIDEO.
AND A SHORT-FORM BATCH.

One shoot gave us a full music video and short-form clips. Plan for both when the footage supports it.

My Story — the full videoWatch the long-form deliverable, then compare it with the short-form pieces below.
My Story — another short-form pieceA shorter entry point into the same song and visual world. Shot by juicebelagginn.

SAME SHOOT. DIFFERENT WAYS IN.

A different song sectionLet another passage introduce the record.
A different framingCloser performance and a different relationship with the camera.
A different openingChange how the viewer enters the same shoot.

My Story apartment shoot. Footage: juicebelagginn. Music production: Angelo Imani & DIEM.

WHAT ELSE IS IN THE FOOTAGE?

01

The location story. Why this place? What did you already have access to?

02

The attempt that failed. Show what happened, the change you made, and the result.

03

The how-to. Explain the setup, camera position, or edit in one useful lesson.

04

The shoot-day vlog. Take someone from the idea to the finished performance.

05

The photo post. Share stills and BTS photos with the story behind them.

The finished performanceThe car, the song, and the visual world around it.
Content about making the contentThe setup and edit become another reason to watch—and another way to find the song.

KEEP THE MATERIAL, NOT JUST THE FINAL CUT

RECORD AND SAVE EVERYTHING.

  • Keep everything: full takes, BTS, mistakes, photos, projects, exports.
  • Use an affordable hard drive. Organize by song and shoot date.
  • Verify a backup before clearing your phone. Today’s off take can become tomorrow’s post.
A batch is breathing room.

Name exports by section, angle, and version. Mix performances with process stories. Take what you learn into the next shoot.

TRY THIS

From one shoot, make a performance clip, a “how I made it” clip, and a post about one thing you learned. You now have three stories from the same work.

SAVE THIS FOR SHOOT DAY

YOUR SONG.
YOUR SHOT LIST.

Use this before, during, and after the shoot. Check items here as you go, or print the one-page PDF and take it with you.

Download checklist PDFOpen printable PDF
BEFORE YOU SHOOT
WHILE YOU SHOOT
AFTER THE SHOOT

These checkmarks last for this page visit. Download the checklist to keep a copy.

READY TO BUILD YOUR NEXT RELEASE?

YOU HAVE THE SONG.
LET’S BUILD AROUND IT.

Use the guide to get moving. When you want help bringing the sound, visuals, and release together, that’s what I do.

CONTENT + ROLLOUTS

Direction, filming, editing, and a plan for turning your song into a steady supply of content.

Explore content rollouts

MIXING + MASTERING

Bring the sound together and get your record ready for release.

Talk about your record

SEND THE SONG.
GET THE PLAN.

Tell me what you’re making, when you’re releasing it, and where you need help.

Let’s work togetherSee more of my work

FOR YOUR NEXT SONG

START WITH
A FREE BEAT.

Keep creating. Explore my free beats and find the starting point for your next record.

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