Shooting for Horizontal and Vertical Video: What Clients Should Know (Malaysia Edition)

ritchangb
Jul 30
5 min read

Updated: Sep 16

Understand the Process and the Pricing – Why "Just Crop It" Doesn't Work

Why This Matters? Malaysians Love to Scroll

More clients have been requesting their videos for both horizontal (Youtube, websites, presentations) and vertical (Reels, TikTok, Shorts). And it makes perfect sense – research shows that TikTok had 28.68 million Malaysian users as of January 2025, accounting for over 80% of our total population.

This is closely followed by YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, X, and other platforms, each relevant to different content strategies, audiences, and demographics.

When it comes to the devices Malaysians use, as of June 2025 more than 53% of web traffic came from mobile devices, compared to (a still significant) 45% from desktop.

This means a significant chunk of your audience is likely scrolling vertically – with their thumb – which makes choosing a video format more critical than ever. Every scroll is a chance to grab attention, or lose it.

With that in mind, this post breaks down what all this really means in the planning, production, and – just to shed some mystery around one of clients’ biggest concerns – pricing of your video.

The goal: to help you make confident, strategic choices and balance your budget – without compromising on impact.

Why Is This So Tricky? Cropping Kills Composition

Let’s look at these scenes, taken from our shoots. This image we took of the DUN Sarawak building along the Kuching waterfront was framed horizontally – in 16:9 aspect ratio. We’ve added a grid overlay that demonstrates one of our composition techniques known as The Rule of Thirds – notice how the subject (the DUN building) is placed neatly along one-third of the grid, where the focus of our eye is naturally drawn.

Compare it with the same scene cropped vertically to a 9:16 frame. Suddenly the image feels unbalanced. Your eye doesn’t know what to focus on and the surroundings that added meaning we’ve worked hard to include, like the length of the river flowing down and the building in full, are gone. Important elements of the scene are cropped out, and if you look closely, notice how the image is softer – because the resolution has dropped from cropping.

In this example of an interview, notice how the face becomes too close to the camera. Subtitles and text overlays that were positioned with the horizontal frame in mind are now awkwardly cut off.

Our camera operators and editors don’t just hit record and figure it out later – every shot is framed with intention, based on the format it is meant for. We compose each frame for how it will be viewed – whether it’s horizontal, vertical, or (if we’ve planned for it in advance) both. Trying to repurpose a video without planning for it from the start often means going scene-by-scene to fix framing issues, with scenes that just don’t work in the opposite orientation.

Delivering both formats is absolutely doable — but only with careful planning.

That planning, however, comes with trade-offs…

Double the Formats Means Double the Resolution

If a video needs to be delivered in both horizontal and vertical, we can’t just crop and hope for the best — we need to shoot in 4K, even if you only require your final product in 1080p.

Cropping a standard 1080p shot into vertical (9:16) results in a blurry, pixelated image. 4K resolution (3840x2160) gives us enough space to crop vertically while still keeping the image sharp and professional.

But that extra resolution comes at a cost — especially when filming in Malaysia’s climate.

Exporting and rendering 4K footage takes significantly longer. The file sizes are larger, which means we need more storage, heavier backup drives, and longer upload times. Editing also becomes more taxing on our gear, especially when we’re working with two separate timelines — one horizontal, one vertical.

Then there’s the shoot day itself. Filming in 4K drains batteries faster, fills SD cards quicker, and heats up the camera more. In Sarawak’s hot and humid weather, this can become a serious challenge. Even high-performance cameras like our Sony A7 IV can overheat in the midday sun. We often have to bring along camera fans, heat-dissipating gear, or schedule cooling breaks — all of which slow down the day and add to the workload.

That’s why dual-format projects are priced higher. You’re not just paying for a second version — you’re paying for the extra planning, post-production, file management, and real shoot-day impact of producing two polished edits from one production.

Dual Format, Duller Shots?

When we know a video is only horizontal or vertical, we can get creative with our framing — wide scenic shots, rule-of-thirds compositions, and dynamic angles.

But when we have to make a video work in both formats, we’re usually forced to frame everything dead centre to keep it safe for cropping.

The result? The shots become more neutral and less expressive.

We lose some of the visual impact — especially in projects that require storytelling, where wide environmental shots or off-centre interviews are part of the emotional feel. Those same shots, when cropped for vertical, feel tight, awkward, or just visually flat.

Dual format is absolutely possible — but they aren’t a simple one-click export, requiring creative compromise, and a lot more planning.

Planning for Two = Paying for Two

If you need both horizontal and vertical versions of your video, we treat this as two structured deliverables — not just one.

That’s because we don’t simply crop and export. We shoot in 4K, frame each shot with orientation in mind, and edit both versions separately — including subtitles, sound mixing, and formatting for different platforms. Every stage of the workflow, from shooting to delivery, takes more time, care, and resources.

What It Costs: Real Project Examples

We know budgeting for video can feel vague, so here are two actual cases we've quoted for here in Malaysia with dual-format delivery — to help provide some benchmarks for similar scopes.

Example 1: 30–60 second social reel (single-camera, multi-scene)

Original horizontal edit: RM 1,000

Vertical version add-on: RM 500 (50%)

This included multiple short scenes, subtitle overlays, and exports optimised for platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok. Even though the video was short, adjusting layouts and reworking graphics for vertical took additional editing time.

Example 2: Multi-day event highlight with interviews and b-roll

Original horizontal edit: RM 4,500

Vertical version add-on: RM 1,500 (33%)

This edit involved multi-camera filming, interviews, b-roll, transitions, and sound design. Preparing a clean, engaging vertical version required detailed reframing and restructuring of scenes across the timeline.

Please note — these are not fixed packages, but real quotes issued to clients based on their project needs. Pricing varies depending on the content length, number of deliverables, editing complexity, shoot logistics, and other factors.

So, how much more does dual-format delivery cost?

In most cases, adding a vertical version can increase the overall edit cost by as much as 50%, depending on how much has to be reworked. Short reels with simple transitions cost less to adapt; long-form edits with interviews, motion graphics, and narrative structure naturally take more time.

This is why we always quote dual-format delivery as a separate line item — so you only pay for what you actually need.

Let us know early in the planning process if you want both versions, and we’ll help you structure the shoot and edits for a more efficient, budget-friendly result.

Planning a shoot and wondering if you need both formats?

Let’s chat about what works best for your goals — and your budget.