Vertical Shooting for Social Media – Ergonomy and Practical Concerns

Opinion

by Jeff Loch3 days ago

While the amount of vertical content created specifically for social media continues to grow every year, filmmakers and content creators are obligated to adapt their gear, camera rigging, and shooting style to this new form of content. In this opinion piece, we’ll discuss and reflect from a shooter’s perspective on the ergonomy and practical concerns of shooting vertically, as well as what we could hope for in the future to make our lives easier.

Instagram introduced Reels in August 2020, and TikTok has been a major player in the short-form content industry since 2018. More recently, YouTube also joined the game with YouTube Shorts in 2021.

Many filmmakers like me have been creating “traditional” 16:9 videos for decades. Then, vertical 9:16 videos started to appear, and at first, many of us didn’t believe they would be here to stay. However, whether we like it or not, especially as filmmakers, vertical videos are here to stay. To throw a bit of statistics in here:

• 82% of internet users prefer watching video content on their phones in a vertical orientation (source: Wibbitz)
• Instagram Stories and Reels report up to 80% higher engagement when using vertical video. (Source: SocialMediaToday)
• TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps worldwide, and YouTube Shorts make over 70 billion views daily (source: Google Blog)

You got it—vertical videos won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, and as professionals, we have to adapt. However, this new format also creates new challenges.

Creating vertical videos

There are two ways of creating vertical videos. The first method is to crop in a regular 4K/16:9 video to create a 9:16 version. I’m not a big fan of doing that, and I’ll only resort to it if I absolutely have to shoot in both 16:9 and 9:16 formats simultaneously—because it compromises quality and makes framing a real hassle. Indeed, even with static tripod shots, trying to frame two outputs for different aspect ratios simultaneously often results in suboptimal compositions for both formats. Let alone if you’re shooting handheld or on a gimbal, it makes framing your shots even more complicated.

The second way of shooting vertical videos is to flip your camera 90°. This is my favorite approach when delivering exclusively for social media. Indeed, in my opinion, it makes framing shots easier, as “what you see is what you get.” You also benefit from the increase in resolution/sharpness even if you (and it’s recommended) upload Reels in 1080P.

However, one of the main issues many of us face when shooting vertically is that mirrorless and cinema cameras aren’t inherently designed for it straight out of the box.

Rigging cameras to shoot vertically

Over the years, many third-party camera accessories have developed solutions for turning cameras sideways and shooting vertically. For example, we can mention the RigWheels 90-degree vertical camera mount, the foldable Arca baseplate from Tilta, or the Bright Tangerine Portrait plate, to list a few. Also, many camera cages have mounting points on the left and/or right sides, which allow you to mount quick-release plates to them.

More recently, some camera manufacturers have started recognizing that content creators need and actively request the ability to shoot vertically for social media. As such, Canon, for example, started incorporating an extra 1/4″-20 mounting point on the left side of its Canon EOS C70 and EOS C80 cinema cameras. Furthermore, some mirrorless and cinema cameras can rotate their UI when shooting vertically.

While extra mounting points and UI improvements are great additions, one major issue is that all the camera’s input and output ports and the control buttons are usually located on the left side. This means that when shooting vertically, you typically end up with a 2010-style Frankenrig that looks like a child from the early Canon EOS 5D Mark II ages. Yes, we’re back at fighting with our cameras to get the job done, where the words “ergonomy” and “usability” have left the chat.

I’ve tried dozens of different vertical camera rigging options, switching components on each side, but I still haven’t figured out an ergonomic solution. Adding wireless microphone receivers, an on-camera monitor, a wireless video transmitter, and top/side handles to a vertical camera rig makes operating it handheld or on a gimbal even more complex. Also, since most cameras nowadays have built-in flip-out displays, there is a massive point of failure and a protuberance out of your camera. It hasn’t happened to me (yet), but I can easily imagine displays being knocked out in harsh shooting conditions. Lastly, using an EVF is nearly impossible.

Vertical shooting – will we see an evolution?

So, what evolution would make our lives easier when shooting vertical content? One of the most obvious solutions would be to release cameras with vertical image sensors. Having cameras with vertical image sensors can sound like a funky and crazy idea, but it would allow us to return to cameras that have a “regular” shape and ergonomy.

If we push that idea a step further, the ability to rotate the entire image sensor—much like recent DJI drones—when shooting vertically would make perfect sense.

Would there be a demand for this type of camera from users? If a camera model offered the option to rotate the image sensor on the fly—even at an additional cost—I wouldn’t hesitate to pay for it.

On the other hand, I don’t see how third-party camera accessory manufacturers can solve all the issues I previously mentioned. Indeed, as good as the solutions are, it doesn’t change the fact that the cameras are not meant or designed for shooting vertical content out of the box.

Do you often shoot vertical content for social media? Have you found a setup or rigging solution that works for you? What do you think about cameras with vertical image sensors? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!