Pet Peeve: Why Are Most Amateur Cell Phone Videos Still Recorded Vertical?

Self | May 2, 2015 | PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

I just saw an amateur video of actor Chad L. Coleman of "The Wire" and "Walking Dead" going berserk on a NYC subway. Well, I feel like going just as berserk watching that video. Why? It had nothing to do with Coleman and everything to do with whoever recorded the scene on his cell phone because once again it was VERTICAL.

Why, oh WHY do people STILL record in the VERTICAL when it is obvious that turning the cell phone HORIZONTALLY allows for a much fuller field of vision in stark contrast to the NARROW band of the vertically held phone?

When I got my first cell phone equipped with a video camera, it took me like ONE try only to realize that holding the cell phone vertically makes for incredibly constricted videos. Therefore the easy solution would be to hold it HORIZONTALLY. The learning curve for this great "revelation" was exactly ONE video. After looking at the first VERTICAL video I NEVER made that error again.

So if you see ol' PJ on a subway screaming and yelling, it is just me ranting about WHY idiots out there never learn the simple fact on how to make videos with a wide rather narrow field of view.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Being in the video biz

Maybe you should be thankful. If everyone on the planet knew how to produce videos, there wouldn't really be a need for a paid video biz, now would there?

[RayChuang88]

I have an iPhone 6 (64 GB Space Gray). Whenever I take a picture or shoot a video, I usually turn the phone to landscape orientation because it's easier to see the screen as viewfinder that way.

For example, this picture of my new 2015 Honda Fit EX hatchback was taken from my phone; note the landscape orientation in this picture:

[outofsalt]

It all balances out. See, those same people shoot pistols sideways.
I think it’s because they come out of the box like that...

[al_c]

Maybe you should be thankful. If everyone on the planet knew how to produce videos, there wouldn't really be a need for a paid video biz, now would there?

I work for a local city ... no hack off the street will come in and replace me.

But I do love seeing new folks getting into video development. I enjoy it and like to see others enjoying it too.

[C. Edmund Wright]

I work for a local city ... no hack off the street will come in and replace me.

Ah, a budding liberal gubbermint empo-yee I see. You're right though, once a gubbermint worker, you'll be protected regardless....

[PJ-Comix]

Why are Freepers still venting their feelings in vanities?

Because even though the Chad Coleman rant was interesting, I couldn't focus on it because all I kept thinking is that the video is ridiculously constricted due to the vertical recording. Also if people learn to do the videos correctly it will help with future news coverage.

[Paladin2]

Not enough Cinerama when most folks are growing up these days.

[Paladin2]

It’s either that or an Opus.

[PJ-Comix]

It all balances out. See, those same people shoot pistols sideways.

LOL! So true. What's up with that sideways pistols?

[BuffaloJack]

I have never taken a cell phone video.
Probably lots of people who fit this profile.
However, I work for a cell phone company and design sensors for smartphones.
Pretty much all I do with my phone is use the phone as a phone. No text, no email, no internet browsing, no photographing or video. I do use the phone as an alarm clock when I’m traveling.

[cripplecreek]

I finally got a smart phone.

I use it to make phone calls.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

It’s only obvious if you have a functioning brain.

[TomGuy]

I wonder the same.

I just assumed that those were videos taken by persons who really didn’t know how to edit them.

It is irritating to try to watch them, considering the state of technology today.

My smartfone has 320x240 video recording capability.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

If you talk on a horizontal phone no one will understand you.

[pacific_waters]

I’m not alone after all. Just shows you the our level of unawareness and/or laziness.

[cripplecreek]

Nobody ever returns the calls I make from my camera.

[TomGuy]

If you talk on a horizontal phone no one will understand you.

So, if texting were done in cursive, is that a step forward or backward?

:)

[I still do not understand the purpose of texting. If I need to communicate with someone, I either email or call.]

[moovova]

That’s the way the phone came out of the box.

[moovova]

Darn, you beat me to it. See #38.

[MD Expat in PA]

I dunno, I pretty much only talk on my cell phone, if I have to. And I never ever read the friggin thing. It’s a phone dammit.

Now days a phone is so much more than a phone for people who chose to use any of the non-phone functions.

Twice in the last week I used the ATT Navigator app on my Galaxy phone. I have a phone cradle on my dashboard so I can use my phone as a GPS and it works remarkably well, not only giving me directions but also notifying of up to the minute traffic conditions, at least on the PA Turnpike an icon showing the speed limit that that would turn red if I was going over, and giving me an ETA to my destination that was within a minute of accuracy.

I was at a conference yesterday were they didn’t give out printed handout materials for the breakout sessions. They had been emailed to the registrants a few days earlier but they also gave out a single sheet of paper with the time and room locations and in the corner of the page was a QR Code: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

I used my phone to scan the code and instantly it pulled up a website with links to all the documents.

I’ve also used my phone to bring up manufacturer or store coupons that can be scanned right from my phone at the checkout. And it is nice to not have to cut out coupons that often get lost or left at home.

The last time a traveled by air for work, I downloaded an app provided by our corporate travel agency that would give me real time notifications and updates on flight delays among many other handy features. And when I got to the UK, I used an app to order taxis that used my phone’s GPS coordinates to verify my pick up location. I have an app from a local TV station that will send me messages on severe weather warnings and traffic backup/road closures and breaking news (although I eventually turned off the breaking news option after it became rather annoying).

The funny thing is that I rarely use it as a phone. I hate talking on the phone.