Before recording a business video, there’s a simple question worth answering: where are you going to use it?
That answer can help you decide whether to record vertically, horizontally, or plan for both.
We see videos all day in both formats, but they aren’t interchangeable. A horizontal interview may look great on a website and awkward as an Instagram Reel. A vertical video that fills your phone screen may not be the best choice for a presentation or YouTube.
Here’s how to decide.
When Vertical Video Makes Sense
Vertical video is made for the way most of us hold our phones.
If you’re recording content primarily for Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, or Stories, vertical will usually make the most sense.
It fills the phone screen without asking the viewer to rotate their device.
Vertical also works well when one person is speaking directly to the camera. That’s why you’ll see it used so often for quick tips, customer questions, short announcements, and educational clips.
If your goal is to record three or four Reels for social media, tell the production team before you begin. That way, the shot can be framed with vertical video in mind from the start.
When Horizontal Video Works Better
Horizontal video gives you more room across the screen.
That’s useful for interviews with two people, podcasts, demonstrations, longer YouTube videos, website videos, and presentations.
Think about a podcast with a host and guest sitting across from each other. A wider frame can show both people naturally. You can also record individual camera angles and switch between them during editing.
For a company video going on your website, horizontal may also fit the page better, especially if the video will be displayed across a larger section of the screen.
What If You Need Both?
This is where planning ahead matters.
Let’s say you’re coming to OASIS to record a 20-minute interview for your website and YouTube. You also want to pull a few short clips from that interview for Instagram.
Mention that before recording.
The camera setup and framing can take those shorter clips into consideration. We can make sure there’s enough room around the person speaking so a horizontal shot has a better chance of being cropped vertically without cutting off something important.
Not every horizontal shot will work perfectly as a vertical video. If two people are sitting far apart in the frame, for example, squeezing that entire image into a vertical space isn’t going to look very good.
Knowing what you need beforehand gives us more options.
Don’t Just Turn the Video Sideways
A horizontal video and a vertical video aren’t simply the same picture turned 90 degrees.
The composition changes.
Text and graphics may need to move. Two people who fit comfortably side by side in a horizontal frame may not fit vertically. A product sitting on a table may need to be positioned differently.
Even where the person stands or sits can change depending on the format.
That’s why it’s worth deciding how the finished video will be used before you start recording instead of trying to fix everything during editing.
Think About Graphics Too
If you’re planning to add names, captions, a logo, phone number, or other graphics, the format matters here as well.
A lower-third graphic designed for a horizontal business video may need a different layout for a Reel.
The same goes for captions. On vertical social media videos, you have to consider where the platform places usernames, descriptions, buttons, and other information on the screen.
Leaving room for those elements during production makes the finished video cleaner.
Decide Where the Video Is Going First
You don’t need to know every technical detail before your recording session.
You do need to know where you’d like to use the finished content.
If you tell us, “This is going on my website, but I also want three Reels from it,” that’s useful information. We can plan around it.
At OASIS Studios in Orlando, we record everything from short social media videos to podcasts, interviews, commercials, and business presentations. Some projects call for vertical video, some work better horizontally, and others should be planned for both.
Figure out where you want people to watch your video first.
Then choose the format that fits the screen they’ll be watching it on.
