#MediaMonday: Shooting Better Vertical Video

In an article in Men’s Health magazine, editors ask chefs what they thought were the very best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The answers they got were pretty extraordinary and varied. Cocoa, nibs, olive oil, bacon, eggs, honeycomb and different types of bread were all variables in what were considered to be the greatest peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

You see, even the simplest, most familiar things can still surprise us and satisfy our hunger while essentially being basic and common. 

In modern media, one of the most striking things is how perfection can be simplified. Especially in crowd-created media, one of the best ways to distinguish yourself as a producer is to do something common in an extraordinary way. One of the most common types of video content being created today is vertical video. 

Vertical video has its place in social media, inundating reels and feeds by the hundreds. However, just because it is common doesn’t mean that all of it is good. To teach our students how to do their best, it is essential that we begin teaching them how to shoot vertical video that allows our students to be seen and celebrated as filmmakers.

Therefore, the title of today’s lesson is: How to shoot higher quality vertical video. 

Now, as I shared a few weeks ago, my students are creating a weekly vertical variety show. To do this, we have employed the following technique that I would like to share with all of you. It involves shooting vertically with a pro camera and maximizing the sensor for optimum resolution.  Check out my new Crash Course video here to watch how to do this and how it looks in practice. 

When we teach our students to shoot better-looking video in any aspect of production, it makes them more marketable and gives them the opportunity to stand out in a flooded market. I recommend that you use this technique the next time your students are out shooting and good luck with your vertical media production.