Engineering and Technology
| Open Access |
DOI: Adaptation of Cinematographic Techniques for Mobile and Vertical Video Formats
Herasymiuk Heorhii , Videographer Miami, USAAbstract
The article describes how, in the context of the rapid growth of video consumption on mobile devices and the dominance of portrait screen orientation (9:16), classical cinematographic aspect ratios and techniques must be reconsidered and adapted. While traditional aspect ratios (4:3, 2.39:1) reflected historical technological and aesthetic constraints, the modern user experience dictates new rules of composition, blocking, editing, and technical implementation arising from the characteristics of touch controls and continuous scrolling. The study aims to identify and systematize the principles for applying classical cinematographic techniques in the mobile vertical format, to substantiate their effectiveness, and to develop a new grammar of visual storytelling for the narrow frame. The relevance of this work is driven by the unprecedented growth in mobile video traffic and changes in audience engagement models, which demand scholarly reflection on the aesthetic and technical transformations. Its novelty lies in the comprehensive integration of historical-technical analysis, ergonomic experiments, neurophysiological measurements, and content-analytic data to build a unified model of vertical video language. The methodological foundation combines comparative format analysis, ergonomic tests, a systematic review of recommendations on composition and camera movement, as well as empirical EEG-response studies and statistical analysis of audience behavior on TikTok and Reels. Results show that the central vertical axis of the frame serves as the path of least resistance for gaze and interaction; the rule of thirds transforms into vertical dynamics; and the Z-axis and dolly-in/out techniques become crucial for dramaturgy. Vertical split-screen significantly increases retention;gyrostabilized POV reduces fatigue; light gradients and pinpoint color accents guide attention from top to bottom; and binaural and tactile sound expand perception of the narrow frame. The study’s conclusions establish the theoretical and practical basis of a new cinematographic grammar for mobile vertical video: each modality—composition, camera movement, editing, lighting, color, sound, and interface effects—interacts to precisely direct attention within the 9:16 frame. This article will be particularly helpful to video production specialists, mobile app UX designers, and media aesthetics researchers.
Keywords
adaptation, cinematographic techniques, vertical format, mobile video, composition, editing, stabilization, lighting, color, sound
References
“20 Amazing Video Consumption Trends To Watch Out For,” Vidico, Aug. 29, 2024. https://vidico.com/news/video-consumption-trends/ (accessed May 26, 2025).
M. Sweney, “Adults in Great Britain now spending more time on mobiles than watching TV,” The Guardian, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/25/adults-great-britain-time-mobiles-watching-tv-screen-ipa-survey (accessed May 27, 2025).
“Digital 2025: Mobile Data Consumption Trends,” DataReportal, Feb. 05, 2025. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-sub-section-mobile-data-consumption (accessed May 28, 2025).
“SMPTE ST 430-16:2017,” SMPTE, 2017. https://pub.smpte.org/doc/st430-16/20170714-pub/st0430-16-2017.pdf (accessed May 29, 2025).
S. Fatah, “Snapchat launches new program, highlights impact of vertical video,” Media in Canada, 2016. https://mediaincanada.com/2016/06/14/snapchat-launches-new-program-highlights-impact-of-vertical-video/ (accessed May 30, 2025).
K. B. Perry and J. P. Hourcade, “Evaluating one-handed thumb tapping on mobile touchscreen devices,” Graphics Interface, pp. 57–64, May 2008, Accessed: Jun. 26, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221474717_Evaluating_one_handed_thumb_tapping_on_mobile_touchscreen_devices
D. Parisi, “Vertical Video for Social Media: Best Practices for Reels in 2025,” LocalEyes, Apr. 08, 2025. https://localeyesit.com/vertical-video-for-social-media/ (accessed Jun. 01, 2025).
R. Clayton, “This is a repository copy of Filmmaking Theory for Vertical Video Production,” University of Leeds, 2019. Accessed: Jun. 01, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/180677/1/EuroMedia2019_52556.pdf
Stéphanos Spyrou, “Discover how split-screen videos on TikTok are doubling engagement rates,” LinkedIn, Dec. 03, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/split-screen-phenomenon-double-content-distraction-st%C3%A9phanos-spyrou-bbg3e (accessed Jun. 02, 2025).
A. M. Baranowski and H. Hecht, “Effect of Camera Angle on Perception of Trust and Attractiveness,” Empirical Studies of the Arts, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 90–100, May 2017. https://experimental.psychologie.uni-mainz.de/files/2024/06/2018BaranowskiHecht_Camera_Angle.pdf (accessed Jun. 02, 2025).
M. B. Yilmaz, E. Lotman, A. Karjus, and P. Tikka, “An embodiment of the cinematographer: emotional and perceptual responses to different camera movement techniques,” ProQuest, vol. 17, Jul. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1160843.
“Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizers Market Size,” Archive market research, 2024. https://www.archivemarketresearch.com/reports/smartphone-gimbal-stabilizer-260840#summary (accessed Jun. 05, 2025).
A. Luchetti, M. Zanetti, D. Kalkofen, and M. D. Cecco, “Stabilization of spherical videos based on feature uncertainty,” The Visual Computer, vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 4103–4116, Jul. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-022-02578-z.
S. Huttunen, “Faces in shadows: silhouette light, underlight and toplight elicit increased early posterior negativity,” Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 19, Mar. 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2025.1553977.
G. Mattavelli, I. Gorrino, E. Cesana, J. D. Angelis, and P. Ricciardelli, “Illumination and gaze effects on face evaluation: The Bi-AGI database,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, Oct. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.948142.
K. Sokolik, R. G. Magee, and J. D. Ivory, “Red-Hot and Ice-Cold Web Ads: The Influence of Web Ads’ Warm and Cool Colors on Click-Through Rates,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 31–37, Jan. 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2014.907757.
X. Wen, Y. Niu, and C. Liao, “U-shaped Effect of Color in Short-form Video: Combination of Text, Audio, Image ML and Generative AI,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 192, pp. 115278–115278, Mar. 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115278.
The Psychology of Visual Perception in Data Dashboards: Designing for Impact. (2025). International Journal of Data Science and Machine Learning, 5(02), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.55640/ijdsml-05-02-07
Article Statistics
Copyright License
Copyright (c) 2025 Herasymiuk Heorhii
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright of their manuscripts, and all Open Access articles are disseminated under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC-BY), which licenses unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is appropriately cited. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.