Mobile-First and Vertical Video: The Creator's Guide
While traditional horizontal video was once everywhere when YouTube was king and TVs were the primary viewing screen, vertical video has now taken the throne. In fact, mobile video consumption makes up 75% of all video viewing. The rise of the smartphone and video-first social media apps has made vertical videos the new normal. So, if you’re a creator, it’s key to master mobile-first filming to increase engagement.
Still getting a handle on this shooting technique? Here’s a general guide to get you started, including background on why this kind of content dominates media and how you can refine your vertical video skills.
Why Mobile-First Content Is Dominating
The average person spent around 2.5 months on their phone in 2024, and with around 6.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, that is a staggering amount of time with a massive amount of eyes consuming content.
Social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and now even YouTube and Facebook started prioritizing vertical video a few years ago, and now algorithms most prefer this kind of mobile-optimized content.
Most viewers consume content from their mobile devices, and understanding the platforms’ preferences for vertical video and mobile-first content increases social engagement by aligning with platform algorithms and user habits. Thanks to real-time sharing and instant feedback loops that push out high-performing content, they're also more likely to go viral.
The Power of Vertical Video in Storytelling
Vertical video, which uses a 9:16 aspect ratio, maximizes the screen real estate on viewers’ mobile devices, making it feel more personal and intimate and making the most of the space. Full-screen videos feel more immersive and align naturally with how people hold their phones, creating less friction. Vertical video improves viewer immersion by maximizing screen space and aligning with natural phone use.
As the vertical frame has become the go-to for social media storytelling, filming techniques have started to adapt for this aspect ratio. Now, you can use tools like close-up shots, text overlays, and sequential reveals to draw more interest to your content and keep eyes on it.
Tools and Techniques for Mobile-First Shooting
It’s no longer about who has the highest-grade equipment; what matters is who has mastered the tools and techniques necessary for high-quality, mobile-first shooting.
Choose the Right Gear
Your phone is your primary tool, but a few accessories can elevate the quality of your content. Handheld gimbals stabilize your phone for smooth shots even if you’re moving while filming. Compact tripods are excellent for on-the-go shooting, offering flexible legs for versatile positioning no matter where you are.
All-day shoots can quickly drain your smartphone battery, so never leave for a shoot without grabbing a power bank like the EcoFlow RAPID Magnetic Power Bank (10,000mAh). You can also invest in a portable power station for something larger that can support all your vlogging needs.
Other gear you should consider investing in includes wireless mics for clear audio capture, directional shotgun mics with adapters for mobile phones, and portable ring lights and reflectors for consistent illumination and light control.
Compose the Shot for Mobile
When composing your shot, your mobile should always be top of mind. Use a grid overlay in your camera settings to ensure your composition aligns with the rule of thirds. Keep the primary focus near the intersections of the lines and frame the subjects in the upper third so they catch the user’s eye on social platform interfaces.
Consider your end product. If you need space for captions or text overlays, add that in while shooting so you don’t have to manipulate your footage extensively in post-production. If you’re going to repurpose the content across other platforms, plan for square crops so nothing vital is lost in editing.
Tweak Lighting as Needed
Natural light is always best, and windows make an excellent primary source. But tools like LED panels, ring lights, or reflectors can help shift lighting to meet your needs. Overhead lighting is not the best; it can create unflattering shadows below. Indirect, warm, natural light is most flattering.
Just before the sun sets, golden hour is one of the best times to capture incredible content without manipulating the light too much.
Master Camera Movements and Angles
Practice basic camera skills, like panning, tilting, and tracking shots with a gimbal. Other techniques that can help increase viewer attention include pull-focus, push-ins, reveals, parallax effects, varied shot sizes and angles, and interesting depth of fields to separate subjects from their background.
Optimize Your Camera Settings
Make your camera work for you, not the other way around. Use manual focus over auto-focus, set exposure before shooting to prevent fluctuations while filming, and enable image stabilization mode if available in your camera app.
Consider what look you want for your final piece of content. Use a 24fps rate for a cinematic look, or 60fps for smooth action. Set your bitrate settings as high as they’ll go in the app.
Organize Footage After Shooting
Organize your footage using systematic naming and descriptive tags. Log your best takes and key moments for efficient editing. Rather than wait, transfer your footage to storage immediately after shooting and create backup copies on external drives for security.
Delete any unusable or unneeded footage - you’ll save storage space and simplify the editing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Ideal Aspect Ratio for Vertical Videos?
The ideal aspect ratio for vertical videos is 9:16, or 1080 x 1920 pixels. This is the standard sizing for Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube shorts. A 4:5 aspect ratio also works well if you post in-feed on IG. Always shoot in the highest resolution possible and then crop as needed.
Can I Create High-Quality Content Using Only a Smartphone?
Yes, shooting high-quality content using a modern smartphone is easy nowadays. The video quality of the iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24, and Google Pixel 8, particularly, rivals that of professional cameras. If you can optimize factors like lighting, audio, and stabilization, that matters even more than camera specs alone.
Vertical Video Drives Creator Success
Gone are the days of widescreen content as king. A mobile-first video approach is now essential for content creation success. Vertical video is the native aspect ratio for smartphones, and social media algorithms prioritize it, driving higher engagement with this video style across all platforms.
Quality is less about professional equipment and more about technique. If you master basic tools and techniques, you can rival professional results and become a successful smartphone-only creator.
Join the ranks of the most successful creators on the internet today and perfect your craft with basic mobile-first strategies and accessories, like the EcoFlow TRAIL Series DC Portable Power Station, which charges your phone and turns it into your creative powerhouse. This DC-only power station is designed with USB cables in mind, aligning it perfectly to charge your phone and camera equipment.