Guide · Video formats
Vertical or horizontal video: a format guide for busy teams
We Stream is a London video and photo production company (We Stream Ltd, founded in 2022 by Violetta Coretnic and Vitalii Vakulchuk) that delivers most of its event and brand work in both shapes: a horizontal film for the website and YouTube, and vertical clips for Reels, TikTok and LinkedIn on a phone. This guide covers what each format is for, the one question that settles it, and how to film once for both.
Horizontal, 1:30DATA.BET at ICE London 2024, the highlight film
Vertical, 0:59The same three days, cut for Instagram and TikTok
The real problem
Most teams don't struggle with filming. They struggle with the format decision, and they make it too late.
Vertical or horizontal, social or website, one edit or several: these questions often come up after the shoot. By then the only fix is reframing, which means cropping shots into a shape they were never composed for.
A vertical clip cut from a wide shot loses the people at the edges of the frame. A horizontal edit stitched from vertical footage has no room for context. Both work technically, and both look slightly off, because nobody framed for them.
Format decisions are rarely about trends. They're about where the content will be used. When that is agreed before the camera is switched on, the filming day gets simpler, the edit gets faster and nothing has to be patched later.
What each format does well
One stops the scroll, one holds attention
Neither format is better. They do different jobs, and teams get stuck when they ask one of them to do the other's job.
Vertical, 9:16
Built for the feed
It fills a phone screen, where people decide in a second or two whether to stop. It suits event moments, behind the scenes, short statements, product reveals and anything that should feel current.
Where it lives: Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn and Stories on a phone, and same-day clips while an event is still running.
Horizontal, 16:9
Built for the screen
It gives room for explanation: interviews, brand stories and highlight films with a calm pace and the whole room in shot. Viewers on a website or a big screen expect clarity rather than speed.
Where it lives: your website and YouTube, presentations, pitches and investor decks, and the interviews, brand films and event highlights that sit on them.
The one decision
Before any filming day, ask one question: where will this content live first?
Social first
Shoot vertical as the main frame. Instagram Reels, TikTok, short event clips and quick updates. A horizontal version is a bonus, not the plan.
Website first
Shoot horizontal as the main frame. Your site, YouTube, interviews, brand films and longer explanations, with a few vertical cutdowns taken from the edit.
Both, from the start
Events, conferences and content days, where visibility and credibility matter at the same time. Both shapes are planned in the brief, so neither feels like an afterthought.
Not everywhere at once. First. Once that's clear, framing, camera positions and the edit order follow from it.
Events
The easiest place to capture both
An event already has movement, people, context and energy in the room. One moment can be filmed once and used twice.
A short vertical clip carries the immediacy. A horizontal shot carries the structure: the stage, the audience, who is talking to whom. Planned properly, the same keynote gives you a vertical quote for LinkedIn that afternoon and a section of the highlight film a week later.
That is how we work on long-term event partnerships like Fast Growth Icons and on iGaming stands at ICE, SBC and SiGMA. At ICE London 2024 we covered DATA.BET's stand for three days and delivered both: the horizontal highlight film two days after the show closed, and a vertical cut under a minute for Instagram and TikTok.
The difference is planning. A camera placed for a wide shot rarely gives a usable vertical, so on a two-format day we decide in advance which moments are vertical moments and position for them.
Vertical isn't only for 15 seconds
Four vertical films, four different jobs
From a 19-second moment to a 3-minute brand story. The shape decides where the film lives, not how serious it is.
Alea, the big raffle
SBC Summit Lisbon 2026. Three cameras on one raffle, cut for the feed.
Oleksandr Usyk in London
Trafalgar Square, July 2025. One moment, 19 seconds.
Helen Sharman at Akademy
A talk cut to a minute: the first Briton in space on Mir.
NOA brand story
Three minutes, vertical, with the founder walking through London.
Interviews and brand content
Where the format matters most
A founder interview filmed only vertically feels cramped on a website or in an investor deck. Filmed only horizontally, it can miss its moment on social.
There are two ways to cover both. The first is to frame wide enough that a vertical crop still holds the speaker's face and hands, which works when the background is simple and the speaker stays still. The second is to record a few short answers straight to a vertical frame after the main interview, which gives you clips composed for a phone.
We see this most with ongoing content partnerships. Some clients need regular social clips for visibility while building a library of calmer, horizontal films that build trust. Planned together, the interviews feel natural, the filming day stays short, and every answer has more than one use. More on how we run those in quarterly content days.
How we plan it
Five steps before the shoot
A two-format day costs little more than a one-format day when it is planned. Unplanned, it doubles the edit.
- 01Where firstThe platform that matters most sets the main frame for the day.
- 02The deliverables listHow many horizontal films, how many verticals, for which platforms, agreed in the brief.
- 03Vertical momentsWhich moments are planned as verticals: a speaker's best line, a reaction, a product reveal.
- 04Camera positionsWhere each camera stands so a wide shot and a vertical frame are both possible without crossing the room.
- 05Edit orderVerticals first when speed matters, the horizontal film after, so the fresh clips go out while they are still fresh.
Prices
What the extra format costs
Vertical versions are priced per clip, so you only pay for the ones you need. These are our published edit and add-on prices.
Cutdowns from a film we've edited. Each vertical cutdown for Reels, TikTok or Shorts is £150. If the moments were planned as verticals on the day, the cutdowns come from footage composed for a phone rather than cropped from a wide shot.
Both formats on the day. For events where speed matters, an on-site editor delivers a 45 to 60 second recap in 16:9 and 9:16, three vertical clips and edited photos, per show day.
Trade show packages already include three vertical clips alongside the highlight film. See the event video prices for the full packages. VAT will be added where applicable.
Published prices
- Vertical cutdown for Reels, TikTok or Shorts£150
- Edit pack: 1 highlight film, 6 clips and 6 verticals£1,400
- Same-day video: one recap up to 60 seconds£400
- On-site editor, per show day, both formats£1,200
- Show essentials, three show days, 3 verticals included£3,600
Questions
Frequently asked
Is vertical or horizontal video better for business?
Neither is better overall. Vertical fills a phone screen and suits social feeds, event moments and short statements. Horizontal gives room for explanation and suits websites, YouTube, interviews and brand films. Problems start when one format is expected to do both jobs.
What is the one question that settles the format?
Where will this content live first? Not everywhere, first. If the answer is social, shoot vertical as the main frame. If it's your website or YouTube, shoot horizontal. If it's both, as with most events, plan both shapes in the brief.
Can you cut a vertical video from horizontal footage?
Yes, and we do it as a £150 cutdown per clip. It works best when the moments were planned as verticals on the day, so the camera was placed and framed for a phone. Cropping a wide shot that wasn't planned for it usually loses the people at the edges of the frame.
When does it make sense to film both formats?
Events, conferences and content days. The room already has movement, people and context, so one moment can give a vertical clip for the same day and a section of the horizontal highlight film later. At ICE London 2024 we delivered DATA.BET both from the same three days.
How do you film an interview for both formats?
Either frame wide enough that a vertical crop still holds the speaker's face and hands, which suits a simple background and a still speaker, or record a few short answers straight to a vertical frame after the main interview. The second gives clips composed for a phone.
How fast can vertical clips be delivered?
The same day if it's planned. A same-day recap up to 60 seconds is £400, and an on-site editor can deliver a recap in both formats plus three vertical clips per show day for £1,200. Standard edited video arrives within 7 working days.
How much do vertical versions cost?
A vertical cutdown for Reels, TikTok or Shorts is £150 each. An edit pack with one highlight film, six clips and six verticals is £1,400, and our trade show packages include three vertical clips. VAT will be added where applicable.
Planning a shoot?
Tell us where it lives first, we'll plan the rest
Send the date, what you're filming and the platforms you need. We'll come back with the formats, the number of verticals worth making, and one fixed price. Travel outside London is calculated by us and included in your quote, so there is nothing to add later.
A date in mind?
It is worth getting in touch early
We have a limited number of slots per month. iGaming expos, fashion weeks, and large-scale corporate events fill quickly.