Hollywood in Your Hand: Shooting for Different Mediums

Hollywood in Your Hand: Shooting for Different Mediums

Robert Jarzen, Group Creative Services Director, Midwest Marketing Team, Audacy, Inc

David Bowie said it best: “Ch-ch-ch-chchanges... turn and face the strange.” If you’re creating video—or just marketing your business—you either evolve or get left behind. The tools change. The formats change. And the platforms? They never stop changing.

YouTube. Vimeo. TikTok. Instagram. Snapchat. LinkedIn. Oh my. And within each of those are even more options and variations. Exhausting, right?

For younger creators, this is all second nature. But for those of us who remember U-matic decks and the cool, slow whir of a camcorder tape door as it loaded, it can feel like too much.

Let’s talk formats. Back in the day, Beta was better—sharper image, better fidelity. But VHS won the war. Not because of quality, but because it was easier: smaller, longer, cheaper. The public chose convenience. So I learned VHS. That lesson—go with what works, not what you wish worked—has paid off.

Still, I resisted one big shift: vertical video

I was proudly Team Horizontal. That’s how movies were shot. That’s how TV was made. Holding your phone upright? That was amateur hour.

Except it’s not anymore.

Vertical is now the norm. Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts—they’ve trained our audiences to scroll and watch upright. It’s not just accepted. It’s expected.

So, I adapted. I turned the phone. And guess what? Engagement went up. People watched longer. Clients noticed.

Vertical isn’t a compromise—it’s a new canvas.

Now, that’s not to say horizontal is dead. It still dominates longform, cinematic content, and websites. But the key question has shifted.

Where will this video live?

If it’s TikTok or Instagram, I shoot vertical. YouTube or web embed? Horizontal. Need both? I frame it to crop—or shoot it twice. Yes, it’s a little more effort. But the payoff is huge.

The phone in your pocket has truly put “Hollywood in Your Hand”. Knowing how to shoot for different platforms isn’t just technical—it’s strategic. It’s what separates pros from the scroll-past crowd.

So yeah. Turn and face the strange. The frame may change—but the story is still yours to tell.

Platform & Format Cheat Sheet

(Stick this on your wall—no memorization required.)

Instagram

● Feed: 1:1, 4:5, or 16:9

● Reels/Stories: 9:16

● Length: Reels (up to 90s), Stories (15s segments)

● Format: MP4

Facebook

● Feed: 4:5, 1:1, 16:9

● Stories: 9:16

● Length: Up to 240 mins (1–3 mins ideal)

● Format: MP4, MOV

TikTok

● Feed: 9:16

● Length: Up to 10 mins (sub-60s best)

● Format: MP4, MOV YouTube

● Videos: 16:9

● Shorts: 9:16 (up to 60s)

● Live: 16:9

● Format: MP4

LinkedIn

● Feed/Ads: 1:1, 16:9, 4:5

● Length: Up to 10 mins (15s–2 mins ideal)

● Format: MP4 X (Twitter)

● Feed: 1:1, 4:5, 16:9

● Length: Up to 2m 20s (longer w/ Blue)

● Format: MP4, MOV

Snapchat

● Stories/Ads: 9:16

● Length: Up to 3 mins

● Format: MP4, MOV Twitch

● Live Streaming: 16:9 (720p or 1080p)

● Format: OBS or RTMP

OTT / Streaming Platforms (Netflix, Hulu, etc.)

● Aspect: 16:9 or 2.35:1

● Format: ProRes, DNxHD, MXF

● Audio: Stereo, 5.1, Dolby Atmos

Vimeo

● Aspect: Any (16:9 preferred)

● Length: Up to 2 hrs (more on Pro plans)

● Format: MP4, MOV

Wistia

● Use: B2B, analytics

● Format: MP4

● Aspect: 16:9

E-commerce Platforms (Amazon, Etsy, Shopify)

● Aspect: 1:1, 4:5, or 16:9

● Length: Etsy (5–15s), Shopify (up to 60s)

● Format: MP4

Ad Platforms (YouTube, Meta)

● Aspect: 1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9

● Length: 15s–3 mins (shorter is better)

● Format: MP4, MOV