NEVER SHOOT VERTICAL VIDEO - Here's Why

Why I never shoot vertical video even for short form content & why you might never film vertical again.

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[r.Koozie]

It depends on what you’re shooting for. If you are shooting something exclusively for vertical format social media, then you will have a wider FOV shooting vertical then you will if you shoot horizontal and then crop in to vertical. If you are shooting something that will be used in multiple formats, then yes, shoot horizontal and crop in. Real estate is a good example of this, if you are shooting exclusively for IG or TikTok reels and you want to make the space feel as big as possible, shoot vertical.

[JaroAtry]

Your insights can be useful. But to be honest I hate this type of advice “never do this, never shoot that” If you don’t know the creative intent of the creator, it doesn’t make sense to give such advice. There is plenty of situations when shooting vertically works just better.

[dentaltv]

I just love the easy workflow shooting vertical for my Social media also because of the different angle of view

[Wildridefilms]

5.8k 4:3 open gate on the GH6 and G9II means you can get over 4k vertical image and also get a much wider FOV than cropping into 16:9.

[AllThingsFilm]

I've followed this approach for as long as I've been filming for YouTube or any online content. One thing you risk when shooting video, is if your subject is moving around quickly you're more likely going to lose track of it shooting in vertical mode. In horizontal mode, you can salvage those crazy moments when you can't control where your subject moves in front of you. Plus, most people watch social media on their smartphones. And 4K video, even in vertical mode, is virtually overkill when it comes to resolution.

Remember, 4K video can be projected on a theater screen with no loss in quality. So, cropping to the center third of your horizontal video will not lose any noticeable quality when viewed on your phone,

[seankitching]

I find with videos like this people often get really annoyed if they disagree for some reason. If you have some other reasoning then cool you do you. I am just expressing what I think makes the most sense.

[edvelfilms]

Another reason to shoot in horizontal, is to use footage of your "social media" content, into your filmmaker showreel, which, I've never seen being done in vertical. Normally a serious client, will watch it in a big screen, to see the quality you can deliver.

Horizontal, or preferably "open gate" footage is better for the long run, if you're serious in filmmaking, as horizontal content will never die. TVs, monitors, laptops, cinemas, and our eyes are designed for horizontal field of view. We ourselves experience life in horizontal, keep that in mind! Cheers!

[peacefulbeans]

Thanks for that rule of thirds framing tip, really handy, no more guessing where to frame so I'd have enough room 🙏 Your video super informative and dope as always, keep creating gold 👊

[MattCarves]

Thank you for the videos. Have learnt a lot from them.👍

[otter-pro]

Yup, I agree for video, I always use horizontal and crop if needed. I only shoot vertical if shooting portrait photo.

[Albozofficial]

How would you say about the osmo pocket 3? I mainly do vlogs sometimes and also videos when i produce beats for tiktok/IG example. The only issue is that vertical supports only 3k and horizontal is 4k on the osmo pocket. Would you still say that i should shoot in horizontal on osmo for my occasion or should i do vertical? I just want the best quality and that you can see what’s happening in the video if i were to crop it from horizontal.

[mrcrisps]

Good points, especially regarding the distortion which I think would ruin a lot of shots because you want to frame in the top third, going to look out for barrelled foreheads in instagram videos from now on!

[Chinmay_das]

0:22 no video is present there total blank out😂😂

[markthecretor]

Thanks for sharing Sean, I agree but I personally just don't care for vertical video at all it just looks un-natural to me. Whats odd is some TV shows now take footage shot horizontal and blur out the sides to make it look like vertical footage, even of the subject moves in and out of the blurred area. I guess you can do this with horizontal footage, but if you shoot vertical that area of the frame is gone. great work

[danimac]

Great tips Sean!!! Thanks for the video course as well!! You are the best!! 🔝 🔥

[bodnarbulcsu]

This was some golden information. I have been struggling with vertical videos, so thank you!

[alexanderdreger]

Cropping indeed decreases quality and increases noise. This is especially apparent in low light situations. Also, wide angle lenses often are slower than your 24 mm 1.2 or 1.4, which further decreases low light performance. And you also can crop into a vertical video + use stabilization in post.

[dakar]

Just confirmed my point 👍🏼 thank you, as I was doubting a bit shooting horizontal

[Christlivingwater]

Yo, bro, you a good man, always helping people out with your knowledge, God bless you and your work!

[VR_Wizard]

2 Dissadventages you did not mention which are big for me. 1. If I am further away the bokkeh effect gets less pronaunced because if i focus to something closer the effect is bigger. I always try to get as close as possible.
2. Extra time needed in post for adding key frames is more work and I might film fifferently when I think to myself that all processing will be in post, only relevant when I shoot moving around which I do mostly.