Vertical Video: It’s time to accept it.

Ren Willis

Published in

This Is My Tech

5 min readJul 28, 2017

by Ren Willis

WARNING: THIS POST MAY TRIGGER CURMUDGEONS

There have been a couple articles lately on the sites like The Verge that have kicked started the old debate on vertical videos.

In this era of smartphones as our main computer filled with Instagram & Snapchat stories, iMessage videos, and Facetiming, there are still old tighty-whitey fuddy-duddies out there who feel like there is only one way to record video (to the point where they wish phones banned vertical video).

I quit watching the video almost immediately because my eyes, as well as my display, are landscape. Vertical video recording needs to be disabled in cellphones.
I just don’t get it, why don’t ALL cameras show a warning every time vertical video is shot?
Your eyes see wider horizontally, that is why video should be landscape. Its just sloppiness
it is being ignorant! Apple should have locked video recording to landscape from the beginning. HUGE pet peeve as a video producer!!!
Vertical videos are bad! Why? OUR EYES ARE HORIZONTAL, WE ARE NOT DESIGN TO WATCH VERTICAL VIDEOS. It’s as simple as that.
BURN IN HELL VERTICAL VIDEO! BUUUURRRNNN!!!!

Dang. Anyone else reminded of Abe Simpson?

*Back in my day, we had one aspect ratio and we were happy dammit!*

These people reference the below video from a 2012 back as a “see! vertical video is bad”….

2012… a half a decade a go.

TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK

Here’s the deal…. It’s 2017 and smartphones have long since won the battle for our eyeballs.

People record, share, and view content on their smartphones. Yes, films are still made and even some using super wide screen or whatever, but for real human-to-human content, smartphones which are naturally held in the vertical position are the way people are sharing their lives, their stories. Not always, of course, this is not a statement of absolutes, but it is reality.

People shoot vertical video, enjoy it even, and share it on an ever-growing number of platforms.

So much so that legacy sites like Youtube are adapting, making the vertical viewing experience better. Vimeo has long supported vertical videos (one is embedded later in this post). Apps like Videoshop and programs like Power Director are making it possible to easily edit and combine vertical videos.

And this is okay.

We are humans, we can normalize anything, we can adapt.

Personally, with all this amazing technology coming at us, the LAST thing I want to do is limit how it’s being used. Can you imagine a warning sign coming up on your phone when you go to use it just because some grumpy old dude doesn’t like it dagnabbit?

YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND WE DON’T LIKE THAT!

Last week we traveled around Iceland. Amazing trip, highly recommended. Here’s the thing…. with vertical video via Instagram stories, we were able to share in real time our experiences with our friends, family, and followers without flooding anyone facebook or IG feeds.

The response from everyone was overwhelming. Texts and IG messages from people blown away by the beauty of the otherworldly nation, who felt like they were on the trip with us!

People who may never get the chance to go went counter-clockwise around the island exploring the barren cloud-filled wastelands, chasing waterfalls, volcanic rock and lava fields, giant craters, black beaches filled with remnants of glaciers fading to vast waters, mountains but barely a tree in sight, ice caps always off in the distance, and a few small fjord towns we’d stop in for tea and beer.

Since my iPhone was already out and I also shot video in landscape mode for our compilation video I always put together after our trips.

One amazing experience, two different videos, two different ways of viewing the world!!!

SHARING IS CARING

So why share all this? Because that’s the point. We have been given amazing technology that is continually improving and adapting to our needs and desires. We should want to create and share vertical videos, horizontal videos, diagonal, upside down, imax, and 360 videos! Video ideas that haven’t been thought of yet!

We should be embracing new ways of looking at things, all the time! Because, dear godless universe, why the fuck not? Why limit yourself to the same old way of doing things? Wasn’t it Apple that once said, “Think Different”?

Make a music video!

Make a documentary!

Or just share some video of a natural phenomenon you happen upon!

Live! Create! Enjoy!

OUR FUTURE WILL BE NEITHER HORIZONTAL NOR VERTICAL, IT WILL BE FULL IMMERSION.

Vertical video acceptance is just the beginning. Next up will be vertical AND horizontal video, aka 360 degree or full immersion or whatever they end up calling it. The new Dunkirk movie on iMax is supposed to be as VR without VR glasses as we’ve got so far. You are there.

Mobile will be coming up soon….

via VR specs