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March 8, 2018

Instagram Creators Presents: Reframing Creativity with Vertical Video Format

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA

All over the world, vertical video is quickly changing the way businesses, brands and creators on Instagram connect with and inspire their communities. As people continue to spend time on their mobile devices, more and more are beginning to realize the potential of vertical video and its endless creative possibilities. That's why it's more important than ever to tap into and prioritize this emerging space when crafting creative on Instagram.

Partnering with our Creative Shop team, we recently challenged a group of incredible storytellers to each experiment with the vertical space and showcase their own unique style using 9x16 video. As part of our newly established series, Instagram Creators, these storytellers are the first to be tapped in our ongoing collaboration with creators to create in the vertical video format.

Check out below to see how each of these six creators from around the globe bring their distinct style and ideas to life using the vertical canvas.

Direct Your Audience's Eyes

In the vertical format, the viewer has the freedom to experience content in a brand new, yet organic way—creating opportunity for creators to lead their audience's eyes up and down versus side to side as with landscape video. With vertical, there's no longer a clear horizon for content to exist as it's constantly shifting.

Most people are trained to look at things horizontally, so you kind of have to lead the eye in different ways. This definitely presents a new set of challenges and a different way of looking at things. But with the advent of the smartphone, it makes a lot more sense to make something vertically.
Kris Merc, Illustrator and Animator
Animate Your Ideas

Using 2D, 3D, stop-motion or motion graphics to bring your ideas to life has always been a powerful way to capture the attention of viewers engaging with content on Instagram. And with vertical video, you're now able to do so in a way that feels fresh, yet natural to those interacting with it.

Whether you're designing for horizontal or vertical frame, I think the most important thing is simply the aesthetic. For me, I want to use the viewer's imagination to create their own narrative. When you make this room into a vertical frame, it immediately becomes a different environment.
Monica Kim, Illustrator and Animator
Split Your Screen

Whether you're creating a grid to show different angles of a product or splitting the screen to tell two separate, yet connected stories at once, vertical video is a great way to create content in a fresh, immersive way. By dividing up the space, you're able to create new perspectives for your viewers to engage with, while guiding their attention to the most important parts of your video.

Shooting with the discipline of a vertical frame is something that challenges you to think differently.
Ron Brodie, Photographer and Filmmaker
Play with Type and Design

Grab the attention of your viewers by using a combination of type and design when creating for vertical video. Whether you're stacking type in a playful, eye-catching way or using overlays to add texture and depth to your content, vertical video gives you endless possibilities when creating content on Instagram.

It was very exciting and interesting to work in a different format. We wanted to make something that only made sense in vertical. It's not a handicap. It's something you have to take advantage of.
Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda, Photographers and Designers
Looking Ahead

To learn more about vertical video on Instagram and how you can use its endless creative possibilities to stand out, continue to follow the Instagram Creators series on Instagram Business.

BY: Instagram Business Team

San Francisco, CA