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Gosia Nierodzińska: 6 tips for making a good vertical film

Gosia Nierodzińska: 6 tips for making a good vertical film
Instagram Stories combine two categories: Branded Stories and Music Video. Participants in the 7th edition of the competition will be able to create vertical videos for a brand or a music video story. Gosia Nierodzińska, Creative Strategist of Facebook, suggests how to make unique vertical stories that will surprise every viewer.

Think vertically

If you're making a film for Instagram - remember the vertical format. The language of this medium is more direct and intimate than on television or cinema. Therefore, your idea should be implemented in narrower, closer frames, and also be legible without sound.

So what do we do with sound

We often view Instagram in situations where we do not want to be heard. We scroll under the table, e.g., in a conference room or while taking the bus, thus when preparing content for Instagram, it is worth implementing it without sound. It is a chance for creators who want to enjoy the aesthetics of captions and graphics inside the frames. Its good if typography becomes a hero of the story, but you need to be careful not to overly stylize it.

What do you shoot with

You can always use your phone, but you don’t have to. If you’re making a movie for a premium brand, image quality is important. If the idea is para-documentary, or you want a certain amount of grain, it is worth filming with your phone.

Play with the edit

Editing is a strong creative tool that gives us plenty of possibilities. It is worth to use the natural movements that we make on the phone, including scrolling from top to bottom (thus moving from shot to shot), or swiping from left to right. You can also use the natural (for phone users) movement consisting of enlarging the photo, i.e. pinch, which adds dynamics to the film.

Use GIFs

Gifs are a very online language that was created at the beginning of its creation. The use of gifs and looping can bring a great dynamic surprise for the viewers.

Medium is the message

If we create for the phone, it is good to use its features and motor skills. You can take the phone into many more places than the big Red or Alexa cameras and it is more voyeuristic. Such privacy, partial intimacy, or simply fake privacy is something that is characteristic of the phone and social media. We like to view people in a more true way than on television or in the cinema and it is a great idea to use this in your films.
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