At Sunday Treat, we've fully embraced vertical video. We have vertical aspects in every project, often repurposing assets for Instagram and TikTok. However, in the last few years, more and more of our projects have utilised a vertical-first approach to match the priority social platforms - shooting on vertical camera rigs, composing shots and designing edits and graphics for vertical formats.
Across the industry, in the last decade, this has been the case, with even the most purist filmmakers agreeing that vertical video now has a place in our lives due to the shift to content consumption on mobile. But could there be a shift in the coming decade back to horizontal video?
AR and VR are immersive technologies that allow users to experience digital content in three dimensions. Unlike traditional video viewed on a flat screen, AR and VR content is viewed in a 360-degree environment. Therefore, horizontal video is a more natural fit for AR and VR than vertical video. At Sunday Treat, we've written a fair amount of content on this emerging technology already.
AR and VR are still relatively new, and it remains to be seen how the world of social media will adapt around them. However, it's not hard to imagine a future where we use AR and VR to experience social media in a far more immersive way. Instead of scrolling through a feed, we could enter a virtual world where we interact with content in a more tangible way. In this world, horizontal video would make more sense than vertical video.
Ultimately, it's not a question of whether horizontal or vertical video is "better." It's a matter of context. Vertical video works great for social media, while horizontal video is better for longer narratives and immersive experiences. As content creators, it's essential to stay flexible and adaptable and be willing to experiment with different formats to find what works best for each situation. At Sunday Treat, we'll be watching as the technology evolves, and it's interesting to imagine a world in the future where vertical video looks very archaic!
In the meantime, check out some of our fun vertical video work with the amazing Butternut Box! We've had a great time working with their incredible team and lovely doggies to produce high-volume social content, and all optimised for vertical video.
