There are two ways to shoot your videos – in horizontal mode or vertical mode.
This video looks at which orientation you should film in. When and why.
Watch the video or read the script. To help you decide whether to film horizontally or vertically, ask yourself two questions.
- Which platform will you be making the video for?
- And what kind of video are you making?
So with those thoughts in mind, let’s first take a look at filming vertically.
Filming vertically works well if your video is for Instagram.
In Instagram you can post videos to Stories or Reels and because the whole of the vertical screen area is given to the video its best film your videos vertically.
Filming vertically is also OK if it’s just you in the video. But if you need to fit more in into the space, like more people, things or places, then you might want to film horizontally.
Filming horizontally is the recommended way to film video for YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn.
So if these are the platforms where you’ll posting your videos, then film in horizontally in landscape mode.
Horizontal filming is also the most common mode to film your videos in because it gives you more options on what you film and how you edit your video.
We’re used to seeing video in this mode because it’s like watching TV. No-one ever watches TV vertically right?! So for some it’s a behaviour thing.
Having more space around you in a horizontally filmed video helps to create a feeling of space in your message, Even if it’s just you in the video.
You might want to use the extra space to add more elements in the editing process like images, or key points.
From horizontal footage you can also crop to a smaller size if you need to. So I can edit a horizontal video into a more square area for Instagram TV for example.
Or I might want to crop the video to fit it into another frame.
And here’s the other thing – if you are posting to multiple platforms, stick to horizontal. You can also use horizontal videos in your Instagram TV area called IGTV.
So that’s a few ideas to help you decide whether to film horizontally or vertically for your next video.
And if you found this helpful, please consider sharing it with someone who may also find it useful.