I find vertical video annoying.
But like a lot of annoying things, such as TikTok, tailgaters, and people talking in movie theaters, it’s not going away. So let’s talk about it.
Believe it or not, vertical video was a thing before smartphones. It was originally used in experimental video art installations in the 60s and 70s. Then later on, when consumers occasionally turned camcorders sideways.
Without smartphones, however, we wouldn’t be having the vertical video discussion at all. But let’s go back a second.
I’ll Try To Make This As Interesting As Possible
In the beginning, video was pretty square. I don’t mean to say it was lame… I mean it literally. It used an aspect ratio of 1.33 to 1.
What’s an aspect ratio, you might ask? Aspect ratio tells you how wide your screen is in relation to how tall it is. The first number is inches wide, and the second number is inches tall. So, for a 1.33:1 ratio, that means for every inch tall your screen is, it is 1.33 inches wide. To put it another way, a screen that is four feet wide would be three feet tall in a 1.33:1 ratio.
Still with me?
Movie theaters eventually figured out that a wider screen would bring in more money, in part because you can get more seats in a wider room, and also to compete with the advent of television in the 1950s. Screens got much wider, ranging from 1.85:1 all the way out to almost 2.4:1. Standard television eventually matched, jumping out to 1.78:1 in the early 21st century… more popularly known as 16×9.
You’ll notice here that virtually all screen ratio changes were driven by changing consumer behaviors. Movies trying to differentiate themselves from television, and television trying to keep up.
Vertical video is no different.
Hello, Smartphones
The launch of the iPhone in 2007 (yes, we’ve really had these things for less than two decades, can you believe it?) introduced a new kind of competition into the mix. It gave us a screen we could hold in the palm of our hand. One that lives inside our pockets at virtually all times. That gives the smartphone a distinct advantage as a source of media over television and movie theaters.
Reading this on a smartphone right now? Apparently, something like 60-80% of web traffic is now mobile-based, so there’s a pretty good chance you are. Notice how you’re holding the phone?
Right. The screen is taller than it is wide.
That’s the way the phones fit in our hands – resting comfortably on our palms. Now, try to turn the phone horizontal while keeping it in just one hand. Pretty hard to do, and not at all comfortable to hold it there.
That’s why vertical video is a thing, and why that thing isn’t going to go away.
When’s Christopher Nolan Making a Vertical Film?
So Jack, you’re probably asking yourself right now, how come major film studios aren’t making shit on vertical? How come Quibi lost $1.4 billion of investor money just a few years back?
Good question.
The short answer is: A fundamental understanding of what our brains want from a mobile experience.
In 2013, when I began my career shift from sports to film, I returned to college to take some classes. My professor, Chris Koch, said something that’s so patently obvious that I can’t believe no one else brings it up on a regular basis.
Chris said, “You have two eyes. They’re next to each other. That’s why we watch our media horizontally. If we were meant to watch video vertically, our eyes would be stacked on top of each other.”
Well… shit. Mind blown, right?
Think about it: Horizontal composition matches the way we naturally scan the world and allows more information into our field of view.
Try this: Hold up that phone again. Keep track of what your eyes are doing. Then look at your television.
Maybe you didn’t notice anything. I’m not psychic. But mine feel slightly more relaxed when focused on a horizontal one vs. a vertical one.
So, What’s Vertical Video’s Lane?
Social media companies have become extraordinarily good at capturing our attention. I mean, watch people on the street walk into each other and barely notice because they’re staring at the damned things.
Now, here’s the other side of the coin: If we’re meant to take in video horizontally, vertical video will always be inherently less uncomfortable for our eyes and brains to take in.
So our attention span will always be lacking when you’re comparing vertical to horizontal video.
Following that logic, two things will continue to be true. (1) Successful vertical video will be short, and (2) We’ll need the social media algorithm to continue to watch it in large doses.
Let’s add one other thing to the mix: Quibi was a colossal failure.
But Jack, you might be asking yourself again… Quibi was short-form video.
Yes, I reply. But it was too expensive.
YouTube, TikTok… all social media really… depend on their users to provide what is essentially free content. And a whole shit-ton of it, 24 hours a day, from now until forever. That’s how it makes money. You cannot spend $6 million per hour of content, the way Quibi did, and expect to make money.
Where vertical video can really make a lot of hay is with new creators. Want to prove you can showrun a series? Learn something about how Instagram or TikTok algos work, and make a cheap vertical series instead of a short film for a festival. Amass an audience of your own. Trust me, managers and producers will find YOU.
Vertical video isn’t replacing movies. It isn’t replacing television. It’s become its own medium, optimized for a device we carry everywhere.
If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, that’s an opportunity rather than a threat. Learn the language. Learn the algorithms. Build an audience. Hollywood has always cared about people who can attract viewers, and social media has simply changed how some of those people get discovered.
I still prefer the movie theater. I still have no intention of rotating my television ninety degrees.
But vertical video isn’t going anywhere—and understanding why is probably more useful than complaining about it.
