Biggest Cell Phone Video Mistake Being Made

cell phone videoThis is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, but it also serves as a valuable lesson for business leaders. Actually, it’s a good tip for anyone shooting video on their cell phone… which is pretty much everyone. Please shoot your cell phone video in the proper aspect ratio.

Virtually all video cameras these days shoot in widescreen 16:9, right? That’s what your flat screen TV is at home. That’s what your computer monitor is at work… your laptop… YouTube screen… et cetera. The problem is when most people shoot video on their phone, they hold it vertically… which makes your aspect ratio 9:16.

This makes for TERRIBLE video

Instead of a beautiful picture covering the entire screen, you get a narrow image in the center with all sorts of black space on the sides.

AAARRRRGGGG! It drives me insane. Nothing screams AMATEUR as much as video that looks like this.

Corporate video mistake

I see it all the time in DIY corporate videos. Heck, sometimes I see it in professionally produced corporate videos… usually when someone at the company shoots something that “must” be in the finished video. Please don’t do this. I have successfully talked a few T60 clients out of including similar video. The only, and I mean, only circumstance this is acceptable in my book is if it’s a one-time-only event. The company tested a product, someone caught it on camera and it’s awesome. Something along those line.

Anyway, consider this my public service for the day. Please, do not shoot video vertically on your cell phone. Simply turn it sideways and you’ll do yourself a world of good.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.