I’d started writing about the inevitability of vertical video, and how we should adapt to it, when what should came up in the Frame.io blog but Say yes to vertical video.
I had come to the realization that fighting against vertical video is not a winnable battle, simply because most people really don’t care. They shoot on a mobile device, and that’s where they view it. Most mobile phones and tablets default to vertical video. Every non-industry person I interact with shoots vertical video: from my singing teach to my niece!
UPDATE: On Twitter Kenneth X or @Knesaren pointed me to an article on How Norwegian Broadcasting made the first vertical video documentary. As always, start with a good story!
UPDATE 2: Clark Dunbar of Mammoth HD tells me that they’ve had large format (HD to 6K) vertical footage for well over a decade for signage, POS and museum installations! Their vertical stock footage gallery is at http://www.mammothhd.com/MHD_QG_VertPort.html.
UPDATE 3: Carl Olson @TheCarlOlson on Twitter, had some thoughts on vertical video today:
Vertical video haters keep this in mind: For centuries artist have used the vertical format to represent human presence intimately.
Perhaps that explains why many people (not cinematographers) are naturally drawn to the vertical. It’s not laziness as some scoff.
Rather, think about a mother who films her child. Subconsciously she goes for the vertical to intimately capture her child filling the frame.
To the mother, that’s the most natural thing in the world. Try to overcome your prejudices as a creative and see things as others do.