Portrait vs Landscape - Which Framing is the RIGHT way?

When it comes to filming footage on your phone, there’s a great debate that ignites the most heated conversations. Landscape or portrait. So which is it? How should you be filming footage with your phone? We’re going to settle this once and for all with what some will consider my most controversial view I’ve ever shared!

HISTORY OF ASPECT RATIOS

The positioning of your phone goes back to a regularly evolving part of filmmaking - aspect ratio. It all started in 1892 in Thomas Edison’s lab, where he filmed using 35mm film to capture some of the earliest examples of cinema. This includes what may be one of the most well known historical films, “A Trip to the Moon.” Since he used 35mm Kodak film, this resulted in what is known as a 4:3 aspect ratio. Aspect ratio refers to the ratio of the width in relation to the height. So in this instance, four units of width and three units of height. The 4:3 aspect ratio resulted in an almost “square” frame, and was the same aspect ratio that we had on televisions prior to the introduction of HD televisions in 1996, which introduced us to the modern day 16:9.

Meanwhile, films continued to evolve in their aspect ratio. You had the introduction of Academy ratio (1.33:1), CinemaScope (2.35:1), and IMAX (1.43:1), among many others. That doesn’t mean the screens all changed size, what it means is that depending on which screen you watched your content on, there may be “black bars” that allow the content to fit the screen properly. The main thing to note is that all of this content was essentially filmed in a horizontal aspect ratio. Even television in it’s 4:3 almost square frame, it still was wider than it was tall.

Enter smartphones. The majority of cellphone usage keeps it in a vertical orientation, or 9:16. We hold our phones in a single hand, gripping our fingers around the edges. Meanwhile, we use our thumb to scroll, click, and type. So naturally, the majority of cell phone users keep the same orientation when they go to capture a video of an event going on. It’s unnatural to rotate the phone to capture footage in a landscape format when all of our usage is in the vertical orientation. So why is this an issue?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE USE VERTICAL VIDEO IN A HORIZONTAL TIMELINE?

Vertical video, or video filmed in the portrait orientation, doesn’t mix well with traditional film. When we film vertically, but are editing a project that is going to be in a traditional aspect ratio, then we have to compromise the footage. We have a few options, and none of them are great. We can either enlarge the footage to fill the frame, but then you’re cutting off a bunch of the shot AND increasing the resolution of the video. This is the same as trying to blow up a postage stamp sized photo and put it on a billboard; It’s not going to scale without losing a whole lot of detail. Another option is to just put the whole clip on the screen, but then you either need to fill the rest of the frame with something or have giant black bars on either side of the video. One common technique is to put a second copy of the same clip underneath, then enlarge it to fill the frame but blur it beyond being recognizable. This way, it more so acts as a texture that visually matches the color and style of your clip, since it’s literally the same clip. You know what’s better to do in this instance? Film horizontally.

Obviously there will be instances where this just isn’t possible. Let’s say you’re telling a story that refers to a once in a lifetime clip of an event that someone happened to capture vertically. So do you include the clip? Or stay strictly horizontal and not include the clip? This is ultimately a subjective choice - there’s no right answer. You need to evaluate which is better for your story. I would argue that, seeing as it’s better to show and not tell, it’s better to include the clip as long as you can do so in a way that won’t be distracting.

So it’s settled then, right? We should always film horizontally, case closed. Not quite. In order to answer this question, you need to answer one big question: Where’s this footage going to be shown?

When Should You Film Vertically?

Older methods of video distribution quite clearly call for horizontal video. But things progress, and standards change. Just look at how we made the jump from 4:3 to 16:9 being the standard for how we frame our footage. The creation of the very device that has prompted these questions, the Smartphone, has led to the creation of new distribution methods. Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube Reels, and other platforms have led to us flipping the rules on their heads instead of our phones on their sides. They acknowledge the way we typically use our phones and consume our content in a vertical fashion. Each of these platforms have embraced video that is vertical, or 9:16 aspect ratio, and prefer it. In fact, if you want to use traditional horizontal video on these platforms, you need to do the same types of tricks I mentioned for using vertical video on a 9:16 timeline.

If your content is heading for these types of platforms, it makes sense to film vertically. As a longtime filmmaker, it kinda hurts me to say that, but I say it because it’s true. You want to frame your images in the way that people will be consuming them, so you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t film vertically for these platforms.

When Should You Film Horizontally?

Horizontal video is by far the more traditional way to film. As we’ve discussed, it’s used in movies, television, and little known websites like “Youtube.” If you’re creating a project that is going to be shown in one of these environments, you should embrace tradition and capture footage in a horizontal orientation. This takes some getting used to if you’re filming on a Smartphone and not used to it, but it’s going to benefit your content as you head to the edit bay.

What if you’re sharing content on multiple platforms?

This one is tricky. If you’re sharing the same content on Instagram and on Youtube, you’re going to need to make compromises at some point. You can either shoot twice as much footage so you’ve got the same types of shots in both orientation, but I acknowledge this is less than ideal and not a realistic solution. You ultimately will just need to figure out which platform is your primary, and then make calls in the edit bay for the best way to re-edit the piece to work on the other platform.

For instance, I typically post excerpts from these Youtube videos on my Instagram page for Smartphone Storytellers. For those, it’s usually pretty easy because I tend to just pull the first :60 or so seconds from the video and post it as a teaser for the full video. In that instance, I just crop into the middle of my footage and cut off the sides. That works because the bulk of the most interesting portion of the shot, if I say so myself, is located in the center of the frame. If I was wanting to pull clips from other portions of the video, though, I’d need to make judgement calls for which portion of the image to include or get creative if I need the full shot.

Ultimately, the most ideal approach is to create content specific to each platform and work within the strengths and features of that platform, but there are instances where you’ll share content and that’s fine. Just be prepared to make some hard choices and stretch your creativity!

Conclusion

Choosing an orientation for your camera can be difficult. As long as you’re aware of your audience and where you’re planning to tell your story, you can make the judgement calls for how to best film your footage and place it within the image. Have you ever had to use vertical video in a horizontal video? Or vice versa? What tricks did you use? Soundoff in the comments and share your tips with the community! And make sure to like and subscribe to continue to get the tools and tricks you need to tell impactful stories. Because, ultimately, it’s not the gear that matters, it’s the story.