Filmmaker Bjorn Nilsson Shows You How To Shoot the Best Vertical Video

The proliferation of smartphones and social media platforms has led to the rise of vertical content. But why should you care about vertical video? Well, there are statistically-backed reasons to get on the trend. Besides the fact that users hold their phones vertically 94 percent of the time, vertical content is more engaging: it has a 90 percent higher completion rate than horizontal videos, according to MediaBrix, a mobile-first video ad platform. If you are a brand, you can reach 58 percent more people with vertical storytelling.

Snapchat pioneered the vertical format, shaping consumption habits. Now leading social media platforms are on board. The social video app TikTok has one billion monthly active users internationally as of January 2021. Instagram launched Stories, IGTV, and Reels, all features that promote vertical content. It’s now developing a TikTok-style vertical feed for stories. Twitter rolled out Fleets in late 2020, which is similar to Instagram Stories. Facebook has also been encouraging content creators to “build for vertical format.” Even YouTube recognized the rise of vertical video: its desktop experience now supports the format by eliminating the formidable black bars that reduce video size and quality.

There has been an extraordinary rise in video content. Adults in the US spend about 40 percent of their time watching digital videos on their phones, and this format is the third-biggest driver of growth in mobile app engagement, according to eMarketer. So, as a creator or brand marketer, it is time to start experimenting with vertical video content on social media.

Get started with this Storyhunter tutorial, in which Swedish videographer Bjorn Nilsson shows you how to create a mobile-first video.

By Shivan Sarna, Head of Stories