Short-form vertical video is now the dominant discovery surface in music. But shooting horizontal and cropping later destroys composition and retention. Plan for vertical from the start.
Framing principles
- Center the subject — vertical crops cut the sides
- Faces in the upper third, action in the middle
- Negative space at the bottom for captions and UI
- Avoid wide shots — they read tiny on phone screens
Pacing for short-form
A 15-second clip should have at least three visual changes — cuts, transitions, or in-shot movement. Anything slower and viewers swipe.
Re-using vertical content
Cut a 60-second “teaser” of your full music video in vertical format. Drop it as a Short / Reel / TikTok the day before the official video premieres. The teaser drives traffic to the full release.