The Vertical Video Problem

Let me start with a confession that might make me sound old and grumpy:

Most online content is really underwhelming.

Not because of the topics. Not because of the creators. But because of what passes for acceptable quality in 2025.

Vertical videos shot on phones, shaky and grainy. No thought to composition. No concern for lighting. No editing. Just raw, unfiltered, "authentic" footage uploaded seconds after capture because "the algorithm rewards speed."

And here's the part that really gets me: Everyone defends it. "It's authentic!" they say. "People connect with realness!" "Being a sweat is inauthentic!" "Who has time for perfection?"

I get it. I understand the appeal of authenticity. I know production values aren't everything. I've seen slick, expensive content that's utterly soulless.

But somewhere along the way, we went from "you don't need a Hollywood budget" to "you don't need to try at all." And that shift—from democratization of tools to celebration of mediocrity—that's what makes my quality-oriented soul scream.

Because here's what nobody wants to admit: Creating good content is hard. It requires preparation. It requires skill. It requires equipment. It requires insurance and permits and following rules that protect both creators and subjects. It requires editing and revision and sometimes starting over when it's not right.

Most of all, it requires respect: respect for your audience, respect for your subject, respect for your craft, and respect for yourself.

And I refuse to believe that's old-fashioned or elitist or beside the point.

The $250,000 Commercial (And Why I Hate It Too)

Before you think I'm advocating for the opposite extreme, let me tell you about the other side of my professional life.

I consult for an advertising production cost consultant. The job is to review agency estimates for producing commercials. The total for a 30-second spot? Often a quarter million dollars. Sometimes more.

Let that sink in: $250,000 for 30 seconds of video.

Where does it all go?

  • Directors with impressive day rates
  • Cinematographers with specialty equipment rentals
  • Location fees (because apparently many a beer commercial needs to be shot in New Zealand)
  • Talent agencies demanding fees that would make you weep
  • Post-production houses charging $1,000/hour for color grading
  • Insurance premiums that could fund a small film
  • Catering budgets that could feed a village

I consult on the interactive portion of these productions—the digital and social extensions—and I've seen budgets for those components that are similarly absurd. Flights of whimsical fantasy that serve more to inflate agency egos than to serve the client's actual needs.

I'm not a fan of this either.

The film industry's excesses are ridiculous. The waste is unconscionable. The self-importance is frequently nauseating.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: somewhere between "shoot it on your phone and upload it raw" and "$250K for 30 seconds" lies the territory where professionalism, quality, and respect for craft actually live.

And that's where I want to operate. That's where the work matters. That's where content creation becomes something worth doing well.

What Quality Actually Means (It's Not What You Think)

After all this, let me define what I actually mean by "quality" in content creation.

It's not:

  • ~~Expensive equipment~~ (phones can shoot beautiful footage)
  • ~~Hollywood production values~~ (polish isn't the point)
  • ~~Perfection~~ (nothing is perfect)
  • ~~Elitism~~ (quality isn't about excluding people)

Quality is:

Intentionality: You made choices on purpose, not by accident
Preparation: You were ready when the moment came
Respect: For your subject, your audience, yourself
Completeness: You captured what needed to be captured
Care: You gave this your best effort, not your leftover energy
Ethics: You treated people and truth with integrity
Craft: You applied skill and experience to make it better
Quality content can be shot on a phone.
Quality content can be posted quickly.
Quality content can be informal and authentic.
But it can't be careless. It can't be disrespectful. It can't be "I don't care how this turns out, I just need to post something."

That's not authentic. That's lazy.

And audiences—even if they don't articulate it—can feel the difference.

The Emotion Radiates Out

Here's something I've learned over years of creating content:

The emotion radiates out.

The creator's attitude—their care, their enthusiasm, their respect for the process—all of it shows up in the final product. You can't hide it. You can't fake it.

When we approach a shoot with professionalism, preparation, and genuine enthusiasm, that comes through. The subjects feel it. They respond to it. They give us better moments to capture.

When we show up frantic, unprepared, treating it like a chore to get through as quickly as possible? That shows too. Subjects feel disposable. Moments feel forced. The content feels hollow.

Content creation is about reflecting the best aspects of the subject being covered—and often that starts by personally bringing our best attitude into the process.

This is challenging for new creators. Confidence and competence both take time to develop. Sometimes new creators have that pure, unfiltered joy that flows through to the final product—and it's beautiful when it happens. But often, that fluidity is actually due to lack of experience, and it shows up later as lack of quality or comprehensive capture.

You miss the shot because you didn't anticipate the moment.
You lose the moment because you weren't set up correctly.
You fail to tell the full story because you didn't know which parts would matter later.

We've been there and we learned. We're still not perfect but we've taken our lumps already. Experience teaches you to see around corners. To be ready before the moment arrives. To capture what you need while it's available.

Between the Extremes

So where does this leave us?

Somewhere between vertical TikToks and $250K commercials lies the territory where content creation becomes something worth doing:

Worth doing for the creators, because they're bringing skill and care to work that matters

Worth doing for the subjects, because they're being treated with respect and their stories are being told well

Worth doing for the audiences, because they're receiving content that respects their time and intelligence

Worth doing for the community, because it preserves moments and tells stories that bind people together

This is the space we choose to operate in.

Not because it's the most profitable (it's not).
Not because it's the easiest (it's not).
Not because the market rewards it (it often doesn't).

But because our pride demands what it demands, and we won't compromise on quality, ethics, or respect just because the market would let us.

Every creator makes their own choices about where they operate on this spectrum. There's no universal right answer. Someone shooting raw phone footage and posting constantly might be making exactly the right choice for their goals and audience. Someone spending weeks on a single video might be too.

The key is being intentional about your choice—and honest about the trade-offs.

The world doesn't need more content. Social media is drowning in it. Algorithms are overwhelmed by it. Audiences are fatigued by it.

What the world needs is content that matters. Content created with care. Content that respects its subjects and audiences. Content that preserves irreplaceable moments. Content that brings people joy.

That's what we aim to create.

And if that makes us old-fashioned quality snobs in an age of authenticity, so be it.

We're okay with that.

Next in this series: The One-Shot Moment: Ethics and Excellence in Event Coverage - Learn why irreplaceable moments demand our absolute best, and what happens when everything goes right.

Envigna specializes in content creation that respects quality, ethics, and craft.

From aerial drone footage to ground-level event coverage, we've spent years figuring out how to deliver professional results without breaking timelines or budgets.

Ready to work with creators who actually care? Let's talk.