How Editors Can Deliver Video Content for Mobile-First Platforms like Quibi
By Adam Noyes
The landscape of content creation has been changing rapidly, as more and more mobile platforms become available for content to be viewed. This has expanded from live streaming and into the post production world. Avid has released a great guide on creating content for major mobile phone apps like Quibi!
Check out some highlights from that article below.
The launch of mobile-first streaming app Quibi, with nearly $2 billion in investment according to The New York Times, shows the mobile viewing trend is only picking up steam.
Quibi stands for “quick bites,” with each episode lasting eight to ten minutes. The app lets viewers switch between a standard 16:9 aspect ratio and the vertical 9:16 ratio depending on how they hold the device. By the year’s end, the service aims to host 175 shows shot specifically for the platform, according to Vulture. Though it’s new to the game, Quibi joins the ranks of other mobile-hungry platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and whatever else the kids are into these days.
So, what should editors know about delivering content to spec for these mobile content platforms? And what are the creative and editorial challenges that come with this mobile-first territory? We’ll examine the specs for vertical media, a working example from Quibi show Dummy, and strategies for editors to best deliver media on the small screen.
Common aspect ratios for mobile video content
Delivering Vertical Content for Mobile
As a general rule, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat all support 9:16 vertical video aspect ratios—most commonly at 1080 x 1920 px at 30 fps in an H.264 mp4 or mov. Bringing content to these mobile-first apps boils down to two methods:
- Shoot for a mobile-first aspect ratio, prioritizing the vertical frame.
- Reformat 16:9 traditional media into a 9:16 aspect ratio by resizing and reframing the media.
A production could simply shoot in a vertical 9:16 aspect ratio and continue the normal editorial process unhindered, but this tactic would limit the range of potential distribution platforms. For instance, it wouldn’t work for a multi-aspect ratio service like Quibi, which requires both 16:9 and 9:16 deliverables.
For productions planning to distribute to traditional and mobile platforms, most editors likely have to take the second path: reformatting horizontal media to fit a vertical frame for mobile delivery.