Vertical Video
In any journalism class, in any broadcasting station, and from anyone who is a professional videographer, you’ll hear the same thing: no vertical video. Vertical video is taboo in the media industry. Some broadcasters and publications saying they won’t publish any vertical video they receive. But as the masses begin to access media on their phones, why is vertical video still considered forbidden?
A Definition
Vertical video is video that is recorded on a mobile device vertically, in a 9:16 format — the aspect ratio of a mobile phone — as opposed to turning the phone sideways to a landscape format.
The downside of vertical video is a limited perspective, which means that when it is viewed on other platforms, like a television or a computer, the whole screen isn’t being used.
This often appears on television news stations with user generated content. Stations typically copy the vertical video on either side and blur them, to fill up the screen.
These blurs make up for the unused space on a television or laptop screen. However, on a phone, there is no space to be wasted.
The Trend
Think for a moment about where you consume your media, and where you most often watch videos. Many people will answer saying their phone. Facebook, Twitter, and now Snapchat are some of the most popular places where people are consuming news media, and where people are sharing and watching videos.
According to HubSpot, “50% of online video accounts for 50% of mobile traffic.” And in an article by the LA Times, “94% of website visits across the world begin in portrait format.”
With the introduction of Snapchat and Periscope, we are now surrounded with vertical images and video. Several news organizations, including National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN are using the “discover” option on snapchat to inform and attract an audience using a visually vertical platform.
Marketers are also eager to jump on the Snapchat trend, as the platform is “adept at connecting with millennials” and allows marketers to connect with “hyper-niche audiences” according to Venture Beat. Snapchat reported that vertical ads are viewed to the end “nine times more frequently than horizontal ads.” Truffle Pig, a social content creation company, was even created from a partnership with Snapchat, advertising company WPP, and the Daily Mail.
The release of Impact, a 3 minute and 5 second vertical video produced by French director Jean-Charles Granjon, made waves in the world of vertical video.
The video follows the journey of a cliff diver before he takes the leap into the water. Engadget called it “the best vertical video (they’ve) seen this year”, saying “each precious second is a feast for the eyes.”
Applications specifically designed for vertical video production have also emerged.
Vine and Vervid both encourage and adapt to vertical video. While Vines show up in a square video format, users can record in either vertical or horizontal video.
Vervid is a new application designed specifically for vertical video. The app acts as both an editor and video player. It’s almost like an Instagram for vertical video lovers, and many professional videographers have begun to use this application, expanding the use and idea of vertical video.
Vervid CEO John Whaley argued on the Vervid blog it’s our behavior, not apps, that drive the use of vertical video. His argument came after an LA Times article said Snapchat drove the vertical trend. However, Farhad Majoo with the New York Times seemed to agree with Vervid’s creator, saying that vertical video is becoming a mainstream preference.
Making a Vertical Video
After discovering Vervid, I took it upon myself to create my own vertical video.
First, there is the app itself. Vervid’s home screen acts as a timeline, much like many social media platforms, however, with the vertical formatted app, you scroll horizontally to see new user posts.
Vertical videos stand side-by-side and the user scrolls to the right or left to see new videos. The video will load and play automatically, and a swipe down will bring the video to full screen. Users are able to like, comment, and share the individual video, and are also able to subscribe to channels, much like YouTube.
Vervid also offers a search tab, which breaks up videos into categories such as Vervid Pro, Popular, and Featured, but also into topic specific categories like pets, food and makeup.
The editing process for Vervid is fairly simple. You can either record video through the app, or access videos from your phone. I previously recorded my videos using the basic camera on my iPhone, and used Vervid as an editing and publishing software.
With each imported video clip, you have the options to speed up or slow down the clip by three different speeds, duplicate the clip, or “split” the clip. There are also the options to move the individual clip left or right in relation to other videos, and you can also adjust the volume on clips.
The editing is very basic, and there are no aesthetic tools to adjust the clips, but it’s fairly straightforward, and the experience of editing video on your phone is actually pretty exciting. Knowing that I am producing a decent quality video with just my thumbs is enjoyable, especially understanding that the only alternative is to bring out my laptop, which feels giant by comparison.
The only complaint I have is locating sections of your video. You have the option to scrub through your video with your thumb, or you can use the right and left arrows to move ten seconds backwards or forwards. Because the format is so small, it is sometimes difficult to land exactly where I want to cut the clip.
Also, I think because I loaded so many clips into the editor, some processes took a bit longer at the end of the editing process rather than the beginning.
All in all, I enjoyed the experience of Vervid. As I said before, editing a video with your thumbs instead of keyboard shortcuts on your laptop is a different and exciting experience, one that feels right in this mobile focused age.
I think the biggest challenge vertical videographers face is exactly what subject to capture, as shooting for vertical has some different requirements than shooting horizontally. It’s important to frame shots with the top and bottom in mind, and the rule of thirds standard goes out the window.
But again, it’s a relatively enjoyable, pain-free experience editing with Vervid, and watching my work fill up the screen does have it’s thrills.
A Vertical Future
So where does all of this lead for the future of vertical video?
Vervid’s argument? Smartphones are naturally held vertically 94% of the time. And phone users typically use their native phone apps to shoot video. Most of these vertical videos sit unused, taking up space on phones because there is no appropriate platform to share. Vervid allows users to share these memories on an accommodating platform.
Many advertisers and online news publications are seeing the advantages of vertical and are willing to put in the effort to create this new type of content.
Nick Cicero, founder of Delmondo, a digital talent agency, said that vertical video is “a new medium. It’s not TV and it’s not YouTube, so I don’t see why a new aesthetic for video can’t also emerge.”
While full scale Hollywood blockbusters aren’t expected to be rolling out in vertical format, the increasing use of phones as opposed to television continues to drive the use of vertical video.
In a vertical video on Business Insider, Joe Avella says “Vertical video is here to stay, so you better get used to it.”
