SUMMARY
Professional motorsport filmmaker Mark Urban highlights the challenges of shooting for both vertical and horizontal video formats, a common client request. The author, a sports photographer, relates to this frustration, noting that sports compositions often require width and active space, which are compromised when cropping to a vertical aspect ratio. While shooting RAW photos allows for easier cropping, videographers face greater difficulties. Urban argues that attempting to compose for two aspect ratios at once results in neither being ideal, and even open gate cameras, while addressing resolution, do not solve the compositional issue.
TAKEAWAYS
Sports videographers face challenges with the increasing demand for vertical video content.
Composing for both vertical and horizontal aspect ratios simultaneously leads to compromised shots.
Open gate cameras solve resolution issues but not compositional problems for multi-format video.
Sports compositions often require width and active space, which are difficult to maintain in vertical formats.