Five years ago, suggesting that a professional production company should shoot vertical video would have been met with eye-rolls. Vertical was for amateurs, for selfies, for content that did not matter. That world is gone.
In 2026, vertical video is the dominant consumption format. More video is watched vertically on phones than horizontally on any other device. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn Video all prioritize 9:16 content. At Biricik Media Productions, vertical deliverables are now included in the majority of our client projects.
Why Vertical Won
The reason is simple: people hold their phones vertically. The resistance to vertical video was always a producer's preference, not an audience's preference. When platforms started algorithmically promoting vertical content, the audience chose convenience over tradition. And the audience always wins.
This does not mean horizontal is dead. It means horizontal is one of multiple formats rather than the default. A client who commissions a brand video in 2026 expects 16:9 for their website and YouTube, 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, and 1:1 for feed posts. Planning for all three from pre-production is now standard practice.
Vertical video is not a crop of horizontal footage. It is a different compositional language that demands its own planning.
Composing for Vertical
Vertical composition follows different rules than horizontal. The eye moves vertically rather than horizontally, which changes how information flows through the frame. Here are the principles we follow at Biricik Media:
- Subjects center vertically. In horizontal, subjects sit in the upper two-thirds. In vertical, the subject occupies the center with clear space above and below for platform UI elements and text overlays.
- Text-safe zones. Every platform overlays interface elements on vertical content — captions, usernames, share buttons, and interaction prompts. The bottom 20% and top 10% of the frame are occupied by platform chrome. Critical visual information must stay within the center 70%.
- Vertical movement. Tilts replace pans. Vertical parallax replaces horizontal parallax. Camera movement should flow with the frame orientation, not fight it.
Shooting Dual-Format
The most efficient approach for projects requiring both horizontal and vertical deliverables is to plan compositions that work in both frames. This means shooting slightly wider than you would for a horizontal-only project, leaving space above and below the subject for the vertical crop.
Some productions benefit from dedicated vertical cameras running simultaneously. A second camera mounted vertically captures natively composed 9:16 footage that is always superior to a crop from horizontal. The incremental cost is minimal compared to the value of purpose-shot vertical content.
Editing for Vertical
Vertical editing has its own rhythm. Cuts tend to be faster because the format is associated with short-form content. Graphics must be larger and simpler because they are viewed on smaller screens. Motion graphics designed for horizontal displays need to be rebuilt, not resized, for vertical.
The editing workflow for vertical content should treat it as a separate deliverable with its own timeline, not a derivative of the horizontal edit. Different pacing, different graphic scale, different text treatment. Projects that treat vertical as a quick crop of horizontal always look like exactly that.
The Opportunity for Professional Producers
The vertical video revolution represents a massive opportunity for professional producers. Most vertical content is amateur — phone-shot, poorly lit, with on-camera audio. When a brand publishes vertical content with professional lighting, professional audio, and intentional composition, it stands out dramatically in a feed dominated by casual content.
This is the gap that Biricik Media fills. We bring the same production standards that we apply to broadcast and commercial work into the vertical format. The result is content that has the engagement advantage of native vertical while maintaining the quality standards of professional production. For more on our approach to content strategy, read about UGC versus professional content or visit cemhanbiricik.com.